Come What May
by Ruby1235
Summary: Three years after the first time Kagome went down the well to the feudal era, she finds herself an established priestess, who travels with her friends. After crossing paths with Sesshomaru, Kagome begins to train Rin, and they join Kagome in her travels. Over time, Kagome and Sesshomaru's relationship begins to grow. Can they overcome the obstacles in their way to keep their love?
1. Power of the Priestess

**A/N: I am super excited to be finally posting this fanfic for you all. I have had this idea in my head for a long time, and I've been working on writing it for the past couple months. I usually write fanfiction for Naruto and Bleach, and this is my first Inuyasha fanfic. I am kind of nervous for it, but I'm really happy about how this fanfic idea has shaped up. Enjoy!**

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"Why is it so hot?" Kagome asked aloud, her hands pulling at her hair to hurriedly put it up. The only response she got was a few birds chirping in the surrounding trees. She moved over to the other side of the path that had some shade from the trees, and she fanned her face. _It's supposed to be Fall now, but this is probably the hottest day we've had all year… I'm thankful though. To still be able to experience this life here in the feudal era._

It had been over three years since she first came down the well, and it had been over a year since they defeated Naraku and the Shikon jewel disappeared by her wish. To her surprise, she was able to continue her travels to and from the feudal era through the well without the jewel. Over the past year, she had split her time between her time and the feudal era, but after graduating high school and celebrating her eighteenth birthday, her primary time was now spent in the feudal era. She and her friends now traveled the lands and helped cleanse villages of problematic demons.

_Ah, my friends. _The thought of a specific white-haired half-demon sparked irritation, and her eye started to twitch. Yesterday morning she and Inuyasha had gotten into an argument that led with her leaving Kaede's village to go off on her own for a bit to blow off some steam. By this morning she had gotten over her anger and was going to return to the village, however, she found something to distract her. She was now heading towards a village that she heard rumors of being harassed by demons.

A year ago, she wouldn't have been bold enough to travel on her own to go take down a demon. She was mostly dependent on her groups support to take them down. However, after taking down Naraku, she spent a lot of time in the feudal era tracking down priestesses to help her grow her power, and she now felt much more confident in herself and her abilities. She found that her abilities were much different that her ancestor Kikyo, but that was something that turned out better for her in the long run.

Topping the hill, she stopped and found herself stopping to admire the sight of the village that was nestled down in the small valley. _For a town that's having troubles with a demon, you couldn't really tell from the looks of it. Maybe I misheard, or I am at the wrong village. _Despite her uncertainty, she started down the path to the village anyways. The sun would start to set soon, and she would need to stay somewhere for the night.

She had only made it halfway down the path when she realized she was being watched, and she stopped in her tracks. A hand going to the knife she had started to travel with after one of her priestess mentors got her used to handling more weapons than her bow and arrow. Sending out her aura in search of a demon, she found no demonic aura around. _Where is-_

"You must be the Shikon priestess."

A male voice came from behind her, she relaxed and turned her head to look behind her. A man that stood a head higher than herself was leaning against a tree beside the path she was on. His green eyes shined with the sun on them, and the smile that graced his face was slowly turning to a smirk. She let her arms fall to rest at her sides. "What gave it away?"

"The clothing is not quite that common of a priestess. Let alone, most young women around here." The man replied, his arms crossed over his chest, his smirk holding on his face.

Looking down at herself, she had moved past her school uniform after graduation, and now wore more clothes that would be useful while she traveled or in a fight. She happened to be in leggings and a tank top, the long sleeve shirt she had attempted to wear was now wrapped around her waist, as the weather was much warmer than she anticipated it would be. Her eyes moved back to focus on the man. "I guess I should expect that at this point, as you are not the first person to call me out because of the clothing I wear."

"There's nothing wrong with it," the man added hurriedly. "It just stands out rather obviously to what the traditional priestess wears."

That finally brought a smile to Kagome's face, as she waved a hand. "I guess I'm not that into tradition."

The man moved from the tree, approaching her until he was a couple of feet away. "Are you traveling to the village?"

"That's the plan," Kagome replied, as she started walking again. She noticed how the man kept up with her pace. "Are you from the village?"

"Yes I am. A few of us go out before the sun starts to set in order to make sure all the children come inside before dark," the man said, his eyes studying Kagome. "There have been a couple of demons that have been coming around at night."

"Someone mentioned it at the village I was staying at this morning, and I thought I would travel over and see if there was anything I could do to help." Kagome said, as they got closer to the edge of the village.

"How kind of you," the man said, as he clasped his hands together behind his back. "You should talk to our Lord. His palace is on the eastern side of the village."

Kagome realized that the man had stopped walking alongside her, and she slowed to a stop herself. Turning to face the man, she nodded once. "Thank you- uh, I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

"My name is Kenji," the man replied, as he reached forward and gently took her hand. He delivered a gentle kiss to it. "Lady Kagome."

Kagome smiled at the gesture. "You know my name."

"I know that I addressed you as the Shikon priestess at first, but you have gathered a reputation after all," Kenji said, letting her hand go. "I would be surprised if there was anyone around here who hasn't heard of you, Lady Kagome."

"Kagome is just fine… Thank you for the conversation Kenji." Kagome said, flashing another smile, before she started into the village by herself.

It didn't take her long to find the lord's palace, and she didn't have to do more than mention her name for the servants to let her in to see the lord. When she was finally standing in front of him, she bowed her head respectfully before speaking. "My name is-"

"Lady Kagome," the lord interrupted her, giving a nod of his head. "We are aware of who you are. What business do you have with my village?"

_To the point, as expected of a lord. _"I was traveling and came across knowledge of this village being under attack from demons, and I would like to offer my services to help rid of the demons."

"That would be appreciated," the lord replied, his hands clasped together. "For the last several days our village has been getting attacked by a pair of demons that seem to only strike when the sun is down. They have only killed one of our people, but that is one too many. If you could get rid of the demons we will pay high amounts."

Kagome nodded once. "I will take on the challenge, and I will hopefully be able to rid the demons from your village for you."

"Very well," the lord motioned to a woman. "Please escort the priestess to a room."

"Thank you." Kagome said, bowing her head again respectfully, before she followed the woman out of the room.

"It's been a while," the woman said, after they walked in silence for a moment. "Since the last time you were here."

_I've been here before?_ Kagome thought to herself, humming as she tried to remember. "It must have been a while, because I'm having the hardest time remembering."

"It was almost three years ago," the woman informed her, as they finally reached a room. She slid open the door. "You were with a few others, and you dressed differently."

"The old school uniform," Kagome said, laughing at the thought. "I guess if it was close to three years ago, then it makes sense I why I don't remember. I've traveled to so many different villages over the last three years."

The woman offered her a smile, before motioning to the room. "This is where you'll be staying. If you need anything while you are here, please don't hesitate to ask. Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you." Kagome replied, waiting until after the woman left to set her bag down in her room. Stretching her arms up above herself, she felt an ache in her muscles from how long she spent traveling yesterday and today. Walking back to the open doorway, she looked out on the sky where the sun was beginning to set. _Maybe if I looked back in an old journal from three years ago I could find something about this place. Of course, my old journals are at home, and I am a good ways away from home right now. I guess I can look whenever I go back._

A light wind went past her, and it brought a chill down her spine. Her eyes narrowed as her focus went to the forest in the distance. _Where are those demons?_

**Later that night**

Opening her eyes, Kagome hummed lowly as she felt something was off. After dinner, she spent the rest of the evening relaxing, and had finally laid down to get some rest once the sun had fully disappeared. However, she hadn't been down for more than half an hour, before she got a strange feeling. Laying there for a moment longer, her aura spiked with tension. Sitting up she used pushed her aura out, and pulled it quickly back in after it rubbed against a demonic one. Jumping up, she quickly changed, and took off outside her room.

It took her nearly half an hour to finally get to a point to approach the demons. She had tried to lure them away from the village to try to keep damage minimal, and it only got them to the edge when she finally decided they were far enough. Finally, she realized she was dealing with two toad demons. Pulling an arrow out of her quiver, she grabbed her bow, and with a quick movement, she had shot the arrow through the arm of one of the demons.

That was enough to cause the demon she hit to holler in pain, and both turned to face her as she walked out of the shadows. The demon she hit scowled at her. "A lowly priestess."

The other demon cackled. "Oh brother, you just got hit by a priestess. You're growing pretty weak."

"Oh please," the injured demon glared in Kagome's direction. "The little priestess caught me off guard. As if she could ever take me down."

"You talk as if you are above me," Kagome started, attaching her bow onto her back again. "Yet you find terrorizing humans as enjoyable, and I find that disgraceful."

Both demons cackled this time, and the one she hadn't injured spoke. "Well, now we've got ourselves a priestess to terrorize. You picked the wrong day to play hero."

Raising a hand in the two demons direction, Kagome gained a small smirk on her face. "I wouldn't underestimate me. I'm not your average priestess."

**A half hour later**

Stepping back into the compound where her room was, Kagome released a long breath, as she let her shoulders relax. Her heart raced like it usually did whenever she engaged in a fight, and it only seemed to amplify as she took down both of those demons. The sound of footsteps other than her own had her pause outside her room.

"Lady Kagome."

Looking over her shoulder, Kagome found herself looking at the woman who had escorted her to her room earlier. "I thought everyone was asleep."

"I noticed you leave," the woman replied, as she stepped closer. Her hands clasped together in front of her, as she eyed Kagome with concern. "You've got blood on you."

Glancing down at the drying blood on one of her arms and part of her clothes, Kagome quickly waved a hand to reassure the woman. "I'm alright. It's not mine."

That brought a smile to the woman's face. "You got rid of the demons then?"

The hopeful tone in the woman's voice made Kagome's own smile grow. "They won't be bothering your village anymore."

The woman's smile grew, as she motioned for Kagome to follow her. "Come with me."

As they walked past some of the occupied rooms in the palace, they both kept quiet as to not wake anyone up. Kagome began to feel the extent of her exhaustion from fighting with those demons, and her aching muscles seemed like they were screaming at her to just go to sleep right then and there. However, the sound of running water caught her attention, and she found herself being led into a hot springs area just behind the palace.

"It's the private hot springs," the woman explained, as she grabbed a kimono from a storage room nearby. "I figured you might want a bath after all of that."

"You have no idea how amazing that sounds," Kagome sighed, as she offered the woman a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome… You may use this kimono when you get out if you like." Was the last thing the woman said after she set the kimono down, and turned to leave.

Once she was on her own, Kagome began to remove her weapons and clothes, and entered the hot water. Easing herself in until she was chest deep, Kagome relaxed back, and sighed heavily. _This is heavenly. If only this could be the reward every time I take down a demon._

**The next morning**

"Thank you for your help Lady Kagome!" Was the last thing Kagome heard as she exited the palace. The warmth from the sun's rays welcomed her, as she started her journey back up the path she had used to enter the village the day before. When she had met with the lord that morning to inform him that she took care of the demons, the lord had stuck to his word on attempting to pay her high amounts. She managed to negotiate it down to an amount that she was more comfortable in accepting. Along with the promise that if she was ever nearby in the future that she'd visit them again.

She had neared the village limits when she realized she was being watched again. She stopped walking after making contact with the green eyes watching her. "Kenji."

At her addressing him, Kenji chuckled from where he was perched on one of the tree branches near the path. "Lady Kagome."

"Kagome." Kagome corrected, a smile on her own face.

"Right," Kenji smirked. "Leaving so soon?"

"Well, I finished what I came here to do." Kagome replied, and she found herself thinking of Inuyasha at the sight of how relaxed Kenji seemed to be as he perched on that tree branch.

"I figured you had since everyone managed to sleep through the night, and there were no demons in sight," Kenji said, his eyes have been scanning the sight of his village in the distance, then they returned back to her. "Did you enjoy your stay?"

Turning back to look at the village herself, Kagome nodded once. "I did… Apparently, this is not my first time here."

"Well, I could have told you that?"

"Is that how you knew my name?"

"Not exactly," Kenji grinned. "I did know it was Kagome. However, it wasn't until after you defeated Naraku and became an established priestess that you earned the title of Lady Kagome."

Kagome had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the title, as she met Kenji's green eyes again. "Well, everyone here seems to remember me being here the last time, and I can't for the life of me remember it."

Kenji shrugged. "Don't feel bad. It was three years ago after all… You were here with your friends, and they got rid of a demon for us."

"That, unfortunately, doesn't help me narrow it down." Kagome said, laughing along with Kenji.

"Maybe you'll remember this time then."

Sharing a smile with Kenji, Kagome nodded once. "Maybe I will… Enjoy the day, Kenji."

Her journey away from the village was full of peaceful silence. The only sound that graced her ears was the occasional bird or the whistle of the Fall wind. Compared to the bustling sound of the villagers she had listened to all morning, Kagome was finding herself thinking more and more about being back with her friends. The children in the village had her specifically thinking of one kitsune in particular. _I miss my Shippo…_

Shortly after the demise of Naraku, Kagome took Shippo more under her wing, and had treated him like he was her own. Their relationship had grown to one of mother and son, as she did her best to help him grow and give him all the love he needed. _I miss Shippo and my friends. _

Having reached the area where the path split into two directions, she stopped and glanced down each. The path to the left would take her in the direction of Kaede's village, and the path to the right would take her away. Without any more thought, she started down the left path. _I know Inuyasha and I are probably going to pick up our argument where we left off when I get back to Kaede's village. I don't even care. I just miss everyone- _Coming to a stop, Kagome was overcome by a strange feeling. As the Fall wind swept past her the feeling seemed almost warm and welcoming, and it had her closing her eyes in peace for a moment. However, a much darker feeling hit her like a slap in the face. Her eyes snapped open, and without hesitation, she turned around and started running down the other path away from Kaede's village. _I don't know what this is, but I know it can't be good._

**Meanwhile**

"Stop that singing Rin!" Jaken squawked with irritation at how the young girl skipped around and sung about their surroundings.

"Master Jaken, you should sing too. It's a beautiful day!" Rin called back to Jaken, before she continued on skipping around and singing. Not at all bothered at how Jaken was clearly growing irritated.

As Rin started to skip farther forward, Jaken scowled again. "Rin, you need to-"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru interrupted him, barely giving him a side-eyed glance in order to silence him.

"Forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken said, falling back to walk alongside Ah-Un. Muttering under his breath about how Rin was trying to cause his mind to explode.

They traveled forward for another few minutes, and Rin was nearly twenty feet ahead of them at this point. She was just about to slow down to return back to the others when a foreign demon appeared in front of her. Startled at the sudden appearance, Rin felt slight fear until Sesshomaru appeared at her side. His hand on the hilt of Tokijin.

"State your business." Sesshomaru spoke after a moment of silence.

The demon raised his arm to point his claw at Rin. "The girl."

Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed, but just before he could unsheathe Tokijin, the demon's attention moved towards the tree line. Breaking through in a blur of black and yellow, the person slammed into the demon, and a pink glow came from their hands and purified the demon once they hit the ground. Realizing he recognized the person, Sesshomaru relaxed a little, as it was the miko who traveled with Inuyasha.

Kagome let her pink purifying power leave her hand, before she walked over to kneel in front of Rin. "You need to stop."

Confusion filled Rin's face. "I'm not doing anything."

"I could sense you from the village twenty minutes east of here..." Kagome trailed off, as she realized Rin had no idea what she was talking about. "You don't know."

"Miko," Sesshomaru said to get her attention. "What is the meaning of this?"

Kagome's focus went back to Rin, as she offered her a smile. "Rin… You remember me right? I'm Kagome."

"I remember you." Rin confirmed with a nod of her head.

Kagome summoned her power to her hand, and reached towards Rin. However, it brushed up against another power that was radiating off of Rin. The innocent look in Rin's eyes confirmed Kagome's suspicions that the young girl was oblivious to the power she was emitting. "Oh my goodness."

Irritated that the lack of response he received from Kagome, Sesshomaru took a step closer to her. His golden eyes narrowing once again. "Miko-" Breaking off as he became all too aware of demons nearby. A soft fog was crawling out from the trees, and began to surround them.

"Fog?" Kagome questioned aloud, turning around as she ushered Rin to stay behind where she and Sesshomaru were standing. _This doesn't make any sense. Where did this fog come from? _She realized that Sesshomaru's eyes were still on her. "Rin's emitting a large amount of power. You may have not noticed it since she travels with you, and you've become acclimated to it. However, it's basically like a beacon to every demon around here or really anyone who wants to pick a fight."

The demons were closing in, and Sesshomaru's hand returned to Tokijin. "Rin, go to Ah-Un."

With a flick of her wrist, Kagome raised a barrier around Rin to add more protection. Her eyes swept around them as the fog grew thicker, and it was slightly becoming harder for her to see. She spread out her aura to compensate for her lack of vision. She was hit with that same dark feeling, then they were surrounded by demons and fighting them off.

Relying on her instincts and aura to help guide her, she managed to take down a few demons over the next several minutes. She used her knife and her purification power on one demon, and turned to pull out her bow. She shot out one of her purifying arrows, and it hit a demon just as Sesshomaru's poison did. Her eyes barely made out his golden ones, before she finally felt something new touch her stretched out aura. Without hesitation, she took off running past the tree line. The fog grew denser as she went. _Maybe that means I'm about to find the source of this manufactured fog._ She came to a stop in a clearing where she finally found herself staring at what was creating the fog. Preparing to shoot off an arrow, she was surprised when the fog started to let up a little, and she found herself looking at a demon with what seemed like a human body. It's face covered with a hood. She lowered her bow and arrow just as Sesshomaru appeared in the clearing as well. "Who are you?!"

The demon angled themselves towards Kagome at her question, and a low deep voice replied, "I want the spiritual power of the priestess."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the demon answering her honestly. "What would you accomplish taking the power of the priestess?"

"It is not I who will take the power," the demon replied, standing up from where they had been sitting by the base of the tree behind them. "I just deliver them."

"Deliver them to who?" Kagome asked.

"It's none of your concern," the demon replied, finally raising his head to show his darkened eyes. "Your power is the only thing of value."

Lifting her bow and arrow back up, Kagome glared back at the guy. "Over my dead body will I be going anywhere with you."

"Don't tempt me," the demon smirked at her. "You're the Shikon priestess, and all that power you have is almost too delicious to pass up. However, you're not the priestess I am here for today."

Kagome's blood ran cold as she realized he was talking about Rin, and she just took a step forward. "I'm the only priestess here."

That made the demon's smirk grow. "Don't bother lying. I've been tracking the child for days," his eyes flickered over to Sesshomaru for the first time since they arrived in the clearing. "For someone who's supposed to be the powerful Lord of the West, it's been surprisingly easy to track the child."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, as poison began to drip from his claws. However, before he could move forward, an arrow pierced through the demon's shoulder, and with that the fog started to disappear completely.

"You wench!" The demon yellowed at Kagome after narrowly managing to yank the purifying arrow out of his shoulder before it could kill him, but it left behind awful scars on that side of his body. His eyes grew menacing as he disappeared.

Kagome didn't hesitate to spin around and run back in Rin's direction. She noticed Sesshomaru traveling that way as well. "I weakened him enough to stop the fog, but it's not going to stop him."

The sound of Jaken hollering at Rin to stay back caught their attention, and they both picked up their pace. Sesshomaru was much faster than Kagome in arriving back to the path where Rin, Ah-Un, and Jaken were. Just in time to see a demon attempt to get to Rin, but get purified by the barrier Kagome put up around Rin.

They were back into fighting demons, but there was no fog getting in the way this time. Which didn't mean much for Sesshomaru, who had no trouble fighting in the fog, but it helped Kagome get back into her proper groove of fighting. She spent her time searching for the demon with the fog to show himself, but found more of the demons working for him were appearing and getting in the way.

It wasn't until after the third demon she had taken down that the fog demon finally showed up, and she moved behind some trees to get a proper look of him. He was currently focused on Sesshomaru, and it gave her the opportunity to study him. More specifically how he fights, and it appeared that his weapon of choice was actually apart of his body. His hand and arm could separate from his body, and it allowed him to stay farther away from his opponent. _He's a long distance fighter. He dodges easily, and it gives him an advantage. However, going up against Sesshomaru is not going to end well __long distance or not._

Without much warning, the situation changed, as the fog demon moved and was replaced with four other demons to oppose Sesshomaru. All of which were not as careful to stay long distance. Kagome knew exactly where the demon was heading, and the demon made contact with Jaken. Rin, without hesitation, broke free of Kagome's barrier and moved to Jaken.

"Rin no!" Kagome exclaimed, running out of the treeline, as the fog demon had separated his hand from his body, and was going straight for Rin. A knife in hand. The world slowed down as she crossed the path, and moved in front of Rin. Pushing her hand back to put another barrier around Rin and Jaken this time, but one without purification to keep Jaken safe. However, she was brought painfully back to reality when the fog demons knife impaled her stomach.

"You foolish woman." The fog demon told her, landing on the ground, and keeping his knife lodged into her stomach.

"Why would you try to attack Rin if you are after her power? Why would you try to kill her?" Kagome asked, fighting to stay in control while the pain got worse each time he moved.

The demon shrugged, his smirk back on his face. "I wouldn't have killed her, but no one said I couldn't see her close to her death… Looks like you'll be close to your death once I take my knife out of you. Then I'll be free to go after the girl, as my friends are distracting the dog demon lord."

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she felt him start to slide the knife out of her, but she was quick to grab onto it and keep it in place.

After a moment of trying to get the knife back, the fog demon scowled at her. "What are you doing? Trying to prolong your life by a few minutes? Do I have to kill you now? You've already made a mistake getting in the way to try to rescue the child."

A smirk grew onto Kagome's face, as her grip changed to holding his hand that was still around the knife's handle. "The only one who made a mistake today is you."

In a split second, Kagome had sent her purifying power from the demon's hand up to his arm, and all the way to his body. The intensity of her power had the demon screaming in pain. As if her purification wasn't enough, the demon was hit with Sesshomaru's poison and fell to the ground dead.

With the enemy finally dead, Kagome immediate knelt down, and brought a hand to her abdomen. The pain seemingly growing worse now that there wasn't the distraction of the demons around.

"Kagome!" Rin exclaimed, once again, breaking free of Kagome's barrier.

Kagome, however, held up her free hand to keep Rin at a distance, but she offered that hand for Rin to hold. "Are you okay, Rin?"

"I'm okay," Rin replied hurriedly, as her eyes were filling with water. "But you're not okay. You're hurt."

Realizing how upsetting this was for Rin, Kagome looked around her towards Jaken. "Rin, I think Jaken needs to walk off his own injuries, and you should go with him."

"Woman I-"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru interrupted him.

Nodding immediately, Jaken motioned for Ah-Un to follow. "Rin let's go off this way."

A tear slipped down Rin's cheek, as she shook her head. "No. But Kagome-"

"It's okay Rin. You don't need to worry about me. You just need to worry about Jaken." Kagome interrupted her with a smile on her face, as she let go of Rin's hand. It took a moment, but Rin finally moved along with Jaken and Ah-Un. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Kagome hissed at the pain that went through her abdomen. While her brain scrambled trying to figure out what she should do, her eyes picked up on Sesshomaru, who had not gone after the others. "You should go. Rin seemed pretty shaken up, and I think it's best if she get away from here."

Despite Kagome's words, Sesshomaru remained where he was, and he was silent as he watched her.

Feeling slightly irritated at his mute nature and him remaining standing there, Kagome focused back on her current situation. Grabbing some bandages from her bag, she knew that her best chance was to take the blade out, wrap it up, and hope for the best. _The best being that I will probably not die right away, and just in several minutes from now. _Despite the probable outcome of death, Kagome was quick as she finally removed the knife from her stomach, she wrapped it as quickly as she could, and added pressure to both sides. Her shoulders resting back on the tree behind her, as her priestess power rose to try to aid in the healing.

After coming to terms this was the best she could do, Kagome leaned her head back on the tree and sighed. Her eyes slid back over to see Sesshomaru was still standing there. "Do you need something?"

Sesshomaru appeared in front of her, his golden eyes piercing into hers. "Why could you sense where Rin was?"

Cringing from the pain, Kagome tried to settle back again. "Like I said, she has spiritual powers. It must have started recently, because it would have been noticed before now."

"That's not the answer to my question," Sesshomaru said, remaining looming over where she was sitting. "Why could you sense where Rin was? You said you were twenty minutes away. It's unlikely a mere human could sense spiritual abilities that far away. Miko or not."

His demanding tone unsettled her, but Kagome let it go and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. It doesn't make sense to me either. One minute I was about to go home, the next I was overcome with the sense of her powers… Maybe it's because they kind of remind me of my own-" Breaking off as she coughed, Kagome paled at the blood that came from her mouth. Realizing she was close to losing consciousness, her eyes moved up to the sky. "Look, I'm probably going to die from blood loss pretty soon, so I just want to say one thing. With Rin's spiritual powers coming in so early, she's going to need more protection until she can control that power on her own."

Sesshomaru said nothing in response to Kagome, but he seemed to relax as he stood beside her.

The edges of Kagome's vision began to blur to black. Her eyes swam over the blue sky above them, before finally settling back to Sesshomaru. Gold was the last thing she saw, before everything went black.

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**A/N: First chapter is done! I am pleased with how it turned out, and I already have hundreds of ideas on where I want this story to go. Now I just need to be able to get all these ideas written down and in a way that other people can ready them, then we'll be all good! What was your favorite scene of the chapter? What do you think will happen next?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also, be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	2. Making Flowers

_Review:_

"_Look, I'm probably going to die from blood loss pretty soon, so I just want to say one thing. With Rin's spiritual powers coming in so early, she's going to need more protection until she can control that power on her own."_

_Sesshomaru said nothing in response to Kagome, but he seemed to relax as he stood beside her._

_The edges of Kagome's vision began to blur to black. Her eyes swam over the blue sky above them, before finally settling back to Sesshomaru. Gold was the last thing she saw, before everything went black._

* * *

**The next day**

The feeling of a soft bed and the warmth from the blankets around her had Kagome smiling as she woke up. _Home…_ Her eyes fluttered open to a foreign room, and the blankets around her were not her own. She moved to sit up, but a sharp pain from her abdomen stopped her halfway. Hissing in pain, she rested a hand to the area, and raised an eyebrow at the plain white kimono she had on. _This is not mine._

A knock on the door got her attention. The door opened before she could speak, and an orange-haired dog demon walked in. Bright green eyes met Kagome's, however, she softened her expression at Kagome's clearly startled look. "I apologize for coming right in. When I noticed you were awake, I wanted to check on you."

"Uh, it's okay..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes moved slowly over the room. When they finally landed on her yellow bag, she sighed in relief at something familiar.

"I hope the room is okay," the dog demon spoke up to get Kagome's attention again. "You have access to a bath as well, but it's not advised you get in the water until your wounds heal more. That's straight from the healer."

"Healer?" Kagome countered, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes," the dog demon said, crossing the room to stop by a changing screen, and where several kimonos were hung. "The seamstress brought you a few kimonos to wear while you are in the castle. They all should fit you well-"

"Castle?" Kagome interrupted, standing up from the bed. She was still extremely confused. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. First of all, where am I? Second of all, how am I alive? Although, I guess that should have been the first question."

The dog demon offered her a smile. "Lord Sesshomaru brought you here yesterday to the healer. As for where you are, you are in Lord Sesshomaru's castle."

_I'm in Sesshomaru's castle?_ She moved over to one of the big windows in the room, and her jaw dropped slightly at the sight. There was a field of what seemed like never-ending grass, but far in the distance, she could just barely see the top of a stone wall. There were trees here and there, and flowers the decorated the grass in places. However, what mainly caught her attention, was the huge garden filled with what seemed like hundreds of different flowers. "Oh wow."

"Now that you're awake, it is almost time for dinner. You'll need to get changed." The dog demon informed her, motioning to where the kimonos were once Kagome looked her way.

"Okay," Kagome agreed, and after a moment of hesitation, she moved to join the dog demon by the kimonos. _Red, orange, green, gold, white… I thought she said there were only a few kimonos here._ Kagome thought after her eye swept through the ten or so kimonos in front of her. Finally picking one out, she stepped behind the changing screen, and slipped off the plain white kimono she was wearing. That's when she noticed the bandaging on her stomach where she had gotten impaled by the fog demon's knife. Slipping the new kimono on, she stopped after grabbing the obi. Stepping back out from behind the screen, her eyes met the green of the dog demon. "I usually don't wear kimonos that often, and I am not quite sure how to properly tie the obi. Could you help me?"

"Of course," the dog demon replied without hesitation, as she took the obi from Kagome and started to wrap it around her waist. "That color suits you."

"Thank you." Kagome's eyes studied the mirror in front of herself. She had pulled the dark blue kimono out, and it had golden leaves designed on it. The obi was matching gold. It certainly was a lot nicer material than she was used to wearing. After the obi was tied, she followed the dog demon out into the hall, and pulled her hair up into a bun after realizing how dirty it was. Meanwhile, her eyes swept the surroundings and it amazed her at how beautiful the castle was. "This place is amazing… And I have been here since yesterday. I can't believe I was unconscious for so long."

"You regained consciousness a few times, but not long enough for you to remember. You did lose a lot of blood." The dog demon reminded her.

"I guess that's true. I just hate that I lost so much time yesterday and today," Kagome said, then she chuckled. "Of course, I am the person who was so close to death yesterday morning, and instead of being grateful for being alive, I am complaining about the time I missed."

The dog demon chuckled at that, as they turned down another hallway.

As they walked in silence for a moment, Kagome took the opportunity to study the dog demon. Her eyes landing on the ears on her head that looked like Inuyasha's. "I feel like this may come across as rude, but I don't mean it to be… Are you a half demon?"

That brought the dog demon's eyes to rest on Kagome, but instead of looking cross, she held a small smile. "I am. What gave it away?"

Kagome shrugged, and offered a smile back. "The ears. My best friend is a half demon, and his ears look the same way."

The dog demon stopped outside double doors and gave Kagome a nod. "This is the dining hall."

"Oh," Kagome said, looking to the doors and back to the dog demon. "Thank you for walking with me."

Taken aback by her thanks, the dog demon was quiet at first, then she smiled and nodded again. "You're welcome."

After the dog demon opened the door for her, Kagome walked through into the dining room. Right away she was greeted with a big room with a long table. All the way at the end across the room was Sesshomaru and Rin, who had got out of her chair to go to Kagome. "You're awake! I'm happy you're okay! I was scared you were going to die!"

Kagome cringed when Rin had hugged her, and her injured abdomen throbbed with pain. She could tell Rin noticed, as she was quick to step back. Pushing past the pain, Kagome smiled to reassure Rin. "I am alive. Let's just take it easy on the hugs for now okay?"

That brought Rin's smile back to her face. "Okay."

As Rin returned to the table, Kagome remained where she was. Her eyes studying the magnificent paintings on the walls, and the way the room was set up. It was not common for her to be in places like this in the feudal era.

"Miko," Sesshomaru's voice hit her ears, and it surprised her enough to look at him. His golden eyes and stoic expression bore into her. "Sit."

Feeling warmth come to her cheeks, Kagome found herself being ushered by a demon over to the end of the table where Sesshomaru and Rin were sitting, and to the chair across the table from Rin. Her eyes drifted down to her food in silence, as she was rather uncomfortable.

"You look different," Rin said, catching Kagome's attention again. Unlike Kagome, she was clearly much more comfortable here, as she had started eating her food. "Your hair is different."

Brushing a few stray strands away from her face, Kagome offered a smile to Rin. "I just wanted to get it out of the way. It could use a good wash."

"I like that kimono," Rin said, continuing the conversation without skipping a beat. "It's a pretty color."

"Thank you. It's my mother's favorite color," Kagome replied, as she began to feel more uncomfortable. _I'm completely out of place here. I still don't understand why I'm even here. Why would Sesshomaru bother saving my life? It doesn't make sense._ Instead of letting her thoughts continue to spiral, Kagome forced herself to focus on Rin to change the subject away from herself. "What's your favorite color?"

**After dinner**

"Come along Rin."

They had just finished up dinner when in came what looked a fox demon to Kagome, and she had asked Rin to come with her.

Rin had got up from the table but stopped to look back at Kagome. "I have to go take my bath and go to bed, but can we play tomorrow?"

Opening her mouth to reply, Kagome hesitated. _I don't even know if I will be here tomorrow._ Despite her uncertainty, she offered Rin a smile. "We'll see."

"Okay!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully, her eyes moved to Sesshomaru. "Goodnight Lord Sesshomaru."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome could tell that Sesshomaru had given a nod in Rin's direction in acknowledgment towards her. Almost as soon as Rin left the room, Kagome turned to face Sesshomaru. "I don't understand."

Sesshomaru's golden eyes slid over to meet Kagome's, but his stoic expression remained.

Despite Sesshomaru's lack of response, Kagome continued, as she motioned to herself. "Why am I here? The last thing I remember was that I was basically about to bleed to death in the middle of some forest, then I wake up a day later and I'm somehow not dead. I have no idea-"

"Stop talking," Sesshomaru interrupted her, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "You were in one of the forests in the Western Land. My land."

"Oh, I didn't know that..." Kagome trailed off, a little taken aback that Sesshomaru had spoken to her. The entire time they had eaten dinner, he had been silent, and Rin seemed to lead the conversation.

"You were brought to the healer at my castle yesterday. That is why you are still alive." Sesshomaru said, his eyes moved away from hers, and his apathetic expression returned.

"Why would you do that though?" Kagome asked only to receive no answer. The door to the dining hall opened at the dog demon she had met before entered.

"Lord Sesshomaru." The dog demon bowed her head respectively towards him, and remained by the door.

Kagome could tell that she was supposed to get up and leave now. Her eyes flickered back over to Sesshomaru, before she sighed heavily and stood up.

"You sacrificed yourself for Rin's sake," Sesshomaru's voice stopped Kagome from moving. "That is your answer."

Realizing that was the best she was going to get out of Sesshomaru, Kagome nodded and tucked the free strands of her hair behind her ear. "Okay… Well, I should really get going-"

"Miko," Sesshomaru's voice interrupted hers and stopped her from walking away. "You shall be staying in my castle until your wounds have healed. You have a room and a bath. A servant has been assigned to assist you."

Kagome's eyes moved back to the door where the orange haired dog demon was, who had given her a nod. "Okay," she agreed, before moving towards the door, but she stopped as she reached the other end of the table, but she didn't dare look down the table to where Sesshomaru was. "Thank you."

Nothing else was said as Kagome walked out into the hall with the dog demon. It was quiet as they walked. _I'm still not sure about this. I've been in the feudal era for three years. Most of the encounters that I have had with Sesshomaru usually end up with him and Inuyasha fighting with each other. Sure it's been about a year since my friends and I have ran into Sesshomaru, but still. Those first two years when we were hunting for jewel shards usually were full of unpleasant confrontations with him. _As they turned down another hall, Kagome brought her attention back to the dog demon with her. "This place is like a maze. I would get lost immediately if I was by myself."

"You will get used to it." The dog demon replied, a simple smile on her face.

"Maybe… I don't think I'll be here long enough to get used to it." Kagome said, as they stopped at a doorway that she could barely recognize as the room she had woke up in before. The sound of a child's laughter hit her ears, and she glanced a little further down the hall.

"Rin's room is there," The dog demon explained, opening the door to Kagome's room, before they both went inside. However, the dog demon stopped by the door. "Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?"

Glancing into the mirror, Kagome was reminded of how dirty her hair was. "Yes, I would actually like to wash my hair."

"Of course," the dog demon said, moving to a doorway and motioning for Kagome to follow her. "You can bathe in here. However, be mindful of your wounds."

Kagome retrieved her usual hair products from her bag, and returned back to the bathing room. "I'll be creative. I just really need to wash my hair… Thank you."

The dog demon seemed to hold back surprise at the thanks this time, and she offered Kagome a small smile. "You are welcome. Goodnight."

Once she was alone, Kagome paused as she eyed the bath water. _Wow, everything really seemed to take a turn in my life in the past two days. Just yesterday morning I was about to return home, then I end up here in Sesshomaru's castle instead. Yesterday morning I was perfectly healthy one minute, then close to bleeding out to my death. If I hadn't sensed Rin…_ Shaking off the thought, Kagome started on taking her hair out of its bun. _I don't know what's going to come tomorro__w, but there is no point in worrying about it now._

**The next morning**

The feeling of a soft bed brought a sense of comfort to Kagome as she woke up, but she grew tense at the remembrance of what happened the night before. _Was I dreaming? Did Sesshomaru really bring me back to his castle? _Slowly opening one eye, the unfamiliar bed and stone walls confirmed that she definitely was not dreaming the whole thing up. After pushing off her blankets, she got up and moved over to look out the window. She was greeted with the beginning of the sunrise, and she could barely make out where she had seen a garden yesterday.

Glancing back to the door of her room, Kagome hummed. _I would love to go outside to see that garden, but I have a feeling I would get lost in the castle if I went by myself… _Deciding to stay inside, Kagome lit the candle on her bedside table to give the room some more light, and she grabbed her journal and pen from her bag. Settling by the window, she opened up and started to write down the events of the past few days.

She had gotten so lost in recounting everything that a knocking sound on the door made her jump. She looked up from her journal and found that the sun had risen much more outside. Closing her journal, she slipped it back into her bag, and her eyes went to the door. "Come in."

The door opened and the orange haired dog demon entered, a warm smile on her face. "It's time for breakfast."

"Okay, I just need to get dressed first," Kagome replied, going back to her bag, but she paused when she noticed the dog demon's raised eyebrow as her eyes swept from Kagome to the kimonos in the room. _Oh, maybe it's weird if I don't use the kimonos? _"I'm sorry. I was just going to wear my own clothes. But I don't have to. I don't want to seem rude if I don't wear the kimonos that were brought in here for me."

That produced a chuckle from the dog demon, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You'll have to excuse my laughter."

"What?" Kagome asked, unsure as to what she said that amused the dog demon.

"It's just-" The dog demon had to break off to take a breath, her laughter ending with a much bigger smile on her face. "It's strange. You're a guest of Lord Sesshomaru's. You can wear whatever you want to. Do not feel like you need to wear the kimonos if you don't like them."

"Oh, it's not that!" Kagome exclaimed hurriedly, as she waved her hands. "I think they are all really pretty, and I'd love to meet the seamstress who made them and thank her… I'm just not really a fancy kimono type of person. I'm pretty clumsy sometimes, and I would feel horrible if I ruined one of them."

The dog demon gave her another re-assuring smile. "You do need to worry about that. They were made for you to use if you please."

_Okay, but now I kind of feel uncomfortable if I don't wear one…_ Kagome trailed off in her thoughts, as she looked back in forth from her bag to the kimonos. Without much more thought, she found herself behind the changing screen and pulling on a light purple kimono. "These kimonos are really pretty. Maybe you could introduce me to the seamstress. I would like to actually thank her," she said, and smiled when that made the dog demon chuckle. A new thought occurred to her. "I just realized that I don't know your name. I should have asked yesterday, but I guess I was just so focused on being here in the first place."

"It is okay. I don't quite often get asked my name by the guests in the castle. Rin was the only exception. She wanted to know my name almost as soon as she walked into the castle for the first time three years ago."

Kagome walked out from behind the changing screen, after having attempted to tie the obi herself. She accepted Akiko's hands moving to straighten it out, as she lifted her arms out of the way. "I have a feeling that we'll be seeing each other a lot while I'm here, and I want to know your name."

It seemed as if the dog demon wasn't going to say anything, but finally, a smile broke out onto her face again. "My name is Akiko."

"Well Akiko, I'm sure you already know this, but my name is Kagome," Kagome started, as she put her arms back down. "It's nice to properly meet you."

"Likewise," Akiko said, then she motioned to the door. "Let's go. I'm sure you're ready for breakfast."

"I guess," Kagome agreed, as they walked out into the hall. She noticed how that caused Akiko to raise an eyebrow in her direction, and she shrugged. "Okay, it's not like I'm not grateful for the fact that I'm here, because if I weren't here, I would be dead. It's just… I feel out of place."

Akiko caught Kagome's elbow to guide her to turn down another hallway. "That's understandable. How much longer do you plan on staying?"

"Uh, well I would have left yesterday, to be honest with you," Kagome admitted, nearly stumbling over her feet to keep up with Akiko when they turned down another hall that she knew the dining hall was off of. "However, Sesshomaru wants me to stay here until my wounds are healed. Which isn't that unreasonable, because knowing me, I could easily re-injury myself pretty quickly."

They stopped outside the dining hall, and Akiko turned to face Kagome. She leaned a little closer to whisper to her. "It's quite strange how you don't use his title."

That brought a laugh from Kagome, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, well I'm just not used to that. I've always known him just by his name. In my time, we don't have a title like that. At least not that often."

"In your time?"

"That's a long story..." Kagome trailed off with a nervous laugh.

Akiko nodded, as she finally stepped back. "Alright, enjoy your breakfast."

"Thank you, Akiko." Kagome replied, nodding back at Akiko, before she went into the dining hall. Once again, she found herself taking in the dining hall, as it looked much different in the morning light.

"You're here!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully, her bright eyes following Kagome, who was walking over to sit in the chair across from her. "Your hair is back to normal."

"Well, I managed to wash it last night. However, I probably looked a little funny, because it was a challenge washing my hair and avoiding getting my injury wet," Kagome replied with a laugh, before her eyes slid to Sesshomaru. "Good morning."

Kagome's greeting only received a small, barely noticeable nod from Sesshomaru. As they began to eat, Rin eyed Kagome eagerly. "I'm so excited. I can't wait to show you all my favorite places."

Rin's general cheerfulness seemed to grow on Kagome easily, as she smiled warmly back at the young girl. "I can't wait to see them."

"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin's attention went to the dog demon at the head of the table. "May I take Kagome out to the garden after breakfast."

Unlike the non-verbal response he gave Kagome before, Sesshomaru's nod was more obvious. "Yes."

"Yay!" Rin cheered, as she focused back on Kagome again. "The garden is my favorite. There are so many flowers! Do you like flowers?"

"I do." Kagome said, noticing how that seemed to make Rin even happier. _She's so pure. After everything that she has seen at her age, I feel like that it's a miracle she's able to be so happy._

**After breakfast**

"Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Rin exclaimed, having ran around to Kagome's side of the table as soon as breakfast was over.

Sesshomaru watched as Rin tugged gently on the arm of the miko's kimono. However, when the miko turned her head to look at Rin, her expression showed a smile at the insistence of the young girl. "Why are we in such a hurry? Are we going to miss something?"

Rin nodded quickly in response, as she started to guide Kagome around the table towards the doors. "Yes, we are going to run out of time. The garden is so big."

"Oh my goodness! Then why didn't you say so sooner?! Let's go!" Kagome exclaimed, taking the lead this time in heading to the doors.

Sesshomaru had to fight to keep the smirk that wanted to lift onto his face in front of where the miko could see. _To a child, the garden looks like a never-ending maze. The miko, however, knows better, but yet she still goes along with Rin's view of things. _His golden eyes followed the miko and Rin as they left the room, and finally he stood up himself. He left the dining hall with a younger dog demon servant at his side.

It wasn't until they reached Sesshomaru's study that the younger dog demon stopped at the doors. "Is there anything I can do for you, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"No, you may go." Sesshomaru replied, walking over towards his desk, and listening as the dog demon had closed the doors after leaving the room. Once at his desk, he remained standing to look out the windows. He could see the garden where Rin had just arrived with Kagome shortly behind her. His eyes followed his young ward as she cheerfully motioned to certain areas of the garden. After watching Rin, his eyes slid over to the older miko. He noticed how her face lit up with a big smile at whatever Rin was saying. Then he noticed that whatever Kagome said back had Rin laughing and dancing around Kagome. He hummed lowly, as he continued to watch the two walk around the garden.

**An hour later**

Kagome and Rin were still outside in the garden, and were now seated in one of Rin's favorite spots in the garden. It was the Northern end that was farthest away from the castle. Rin was pointing out a yellow one to Kagome.

"This is called a Chrysanthemum," Kagome explained, smiling as that made Rin's face light up. She motioned to a few flowers next to that one. "And these purple ones are called Pansies. Both of these flowers can come in different colors."

"How do you know so much about flowers?" Rin asked, leaning over to study the purple Pansies.

Kagome hummed, as she knelt down to be closer to Rin's height. "My mother loves to garden. We would spend every weekend in Spring going out to greenhouses to find new flowers to plant in our garden at home."

Rin was quiet as she looked down at the ground. "I think my mom used to like flowers… At least I think so. I don't really remember."

Kagome's smile faltered. _It was about three years ago that Rin's parents were killed… She was so incredibly young, I don't know how she'd remember them._ She reached over to push Rin's hair back. "I'm sure you're right…" She trailed off when she realized Rin's frown wasn't disappearing. Reaching down to rest her hand on the ground, a white flower grew out of the soil, and she plucked it and held it out to Rin. "What do you think about this one?"

Rin's eyes lit up, as she accepted the white flower. It had orange and yellow specks on its leaves. "I like it! What's this one called?"

"It doesn't have an official name."

"Where did it come from?" Rin asked right away, as she looked around them for a similar flower, but she found none. "There aren't any more of them."

Kagome chuckled, and she stood back up. "It's a secret."

"Kagome. Rin."

Akiko's voice hit their ears, and Kagome looked over to see the dog demon walking over alongside a female fox demon.

"Tora!" Rin exclaimed, identifying the fox demon, as she waved excitedly for them to come over.

"Did you show Kagome all the flowers?" Tora, the fox demon, asked with a smile towards Rin.

"Yes, and she told me all their names." Rin replied, before she proceeded to tell Tora some of the flowers she learned about today.

Akiko took that moment of Rin's distraction to focus on Kagome. "You need to come with me."

"Okay," Kagome said, glancing over to where Rin was obviously still distracted. "I'll be back Rin!"

"Okay!" Rin exclaimed, her focus remaining on the flowers still.

Kagome chuckled to herself, as she walked alongside Akiko back towards the castle. "Where are we going?"

"To see the healer."

"Why?"

"The healer is going to look over your wound."

"Oh okay." Kagome said, suddenly all too aware of the bandaged area under her kimono, as they walked inside the castle.

**A half hour later**

Kagome was now undressed and just wearing her bra and underwear. She had a blanket over her lower half at least, but she still felt extremely exposed. The healer had spent quite a lot of time observing the wound and healing it a little. She had to keep herself still, as the healer had applied something creamy that smelled like it came straight from the forest.

"You're healing well. I put on a herb mixture to help the healing process continue, and I am going to put a bandage on." The healer informed her, before she started working on Kagome's bandage.

Kagome moved her arms out of the way. "I guess it's a good thing that I'm healing well. Considering the only thing I've done is sleep and get a light walk around the garden. The likelihood of me re-injuring myself is pretty slim."

That produced chuckles from the healer and Akiko, the latter of the which was observing Kagome's undergarments. "You wear strange undergarments."

"Well, from where I come from they are just normal." Kagome replied, feeling a little self-conscious at how Akiko and the healer studied her. Once the healer finished re-bandaging her, she rested her arms back down.

"You're healing even better than what I expected." The healer explained to her.

Kagome waved it off. "I guess it's because of my priestess abilities."

"I was going to say the same," the healer said, putting the rest of the unused bandage away. "Normal humans do heal so quickly."

That made Kagome laugh. "I'm not normal apparently."

"Is that so?"

Sesshomaru's voice from the doorway got all of their attention. Both the healer and Akiko bowed their heads respectfully, with a chorused, "Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome, on the other hand, squeaked and brought the blanket from her lap up to cover her upper half. She jumped down and ran behind the changing screen quickly.

Kagome's reaction had Akiko chuckling, as she stepped behind the screen as well to whisper to Kagome. "You have nothing to be concerned about. You're covered in that strange top on your chest and your undergarments."

"That's not enough for me," Kagome whispered back, hurrying to grab her kimono. She chuckled at how Akiko was laughing at her. "Stop laughing at me."

"I apologize." Akiko replied, but was barely able to contain her laughter.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had overheard the conversation between the miko and his dog demon servant, and it brought a slight hint of amusement to him hearing all the fussing the miko was doing. His eyes slid in the direction of the healer. "How is the miko healing?"

"She's doing well-"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kagome's exclamation from behind the changing screen interrupted the healer.

"Kagome, you need to stay still." Akiko said, her tone scolding.

"Well, it's hard to stay still when you are trying to stop me from breathing with how tight you are tying my obi."

"As I said, stop moving and that won't happen."

The healer chuckled after Akiko stopped speaking, before she focused back on Sesshomaru. "She's healing better than expected, and she seems to have slight pain. However, she seems to be managing it well."

Kagome walked out from behind the changing screen, running hands along the obi. Akiko scowled, and swatted her hands away. "Quit. It's not that tight."

Kagome scowled right back at Akiko. "I'm going to tie it by myself next time."

"If you can." Akiko shot back, a smirk on her face as that made Kagome laugh.

Sesshomaru turning to the door got their attention, however he paused to say, "Come."

Akiko motioned for Kagome to come along, but Kagome paused to turn to the healer. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

The healer smiled. "My name is Chiyo."

"Thank you for your time, and for, you know, keeping me from dying and stuff." Kagome said, giving a wave to Chiyo, before she followed Akiko out of the room. One out in the hall, she walked along with Akiko, who was motioning for her to move forward. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Akiko sighed at Kagome's obliviousness and leaned closer to whisper. "You're not supposed to walk beside me."

"What? Why not? We've walked together before."

"It's custom that I walk in the back."

"I don't understand-" Kagome broke off, as she realized what Akiko was saying. However, she waved it off. "It's not like I'm some fancy lord or royalty. I'm just a normal person. I don't mind walking with you."

Akiko sighed, but didn't press Kagome further. They stayed quiet walking about ten feet behind Sesshomaru for a few minutes. However, the sight of a seemingly older human woman ahead of them had Akiko leaning back over to Kagome. "That's the seamstress."

"Oh," Kagome said, and without hesitation, she quickened her pace to walk ahead to the seamstress. "You're the one who picked out these kimonos for me."

The seamstress seemed slightly startled at Kagome addressing her, but she smoothed over when she noticed Sesshomaru stopping nearby. She offered Kagome a smile. "I only got a brief look at you before you were brought to our healer."

Kagome laughed, and waved a hand. "Oh well, I'm not usually covered in blood and about to die."

While Kagome's attempt at humor was recognized by Akiko, the seamstress took a moment to realize it. "Hopefully that won't be happening again anytime soon."

"I just want to thank you," Kagome said, motioning to the kimono she was wearing. "I'm not used to wearing such nice clothes. Honestly, I just want to not only thank you, but apologize ahead of time in case I ruin one of them. I am not really graceful enough to wear something so nice."

"Do not concern yourself with that. It is my duty to make wardrobe for the visitors in the castle." The seamstress replied.

"I still appreciate it though," Kagome said, noticing how Akiko was nudging her, she smiled at the seamstress. "Oh, I guess I need to get going. It was nice to talk to you."

They started back walking again. However, they only lasted a minute, before Sesshomaru stopped. "Akiko, you can go."

Without hesitation, Akiko bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome watched Akiko give her a look that said "goodbye", but she just offered Akiko a wave. "Goodbye Akiko," she said, watching as Akiko left, then her eyes went to Sesshomaru. He wasn't moving still, and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh am I supposed to go too? I actually don't really know how to navigate this place, because there are about a hundred hallways that all look the same. Maybe I can catch up with Akiko-"

"No." Sesshomaru interrupted her, taking her by her arm, and when she finally walked alongside him, he let her go.

"Okay." Kagome said, dropping her arm down to her side, as they walked in silence beside each other. _I forgot how anti-communication Sesshomaru was… Where is he taking me?_

"You do not need to thank the servants in my castle. They are tending to you as apart of their duties."

Sesshomaru's words got Kagome to look up at him, as he was over a head taller than her. "I know, but I still want to thank them for helping me. Regardless on if they have to do it or not. I still would appreciate it either way." After she said that, they fell back into silence, and she had to remind herself again that he was not that talkative.

It wasn't until they got to a wall full of windows, she realized they were towards the back of the castle, and that he must be returning her to Rin in the garden. Once outside he stopped, and she paused to look briefly at him. "Thank you."

"Kagome!" Rin called, waving her hand from where she was still in the garden with Tora.

Kagome smiled at that, and when she looked back to Sesshomaru, he had disappeared. Shrugging, she started on her way back to Rin in the garden.

**Later that day**

"So Rin," Kagome started, having taken the young girl back outside after having spent a few hours after lunch inside. "Have you been feeling any different lately?"

"No," Rin said, motioning to a long stretch of grass a little West of where the garden was. "Can we sit here?"

"Sure," Kagome agreed, as she and Rin sat down across from each other. She studied the younger girl. "Are you sure you haven't felt… bigger?"

Rin giggled at Kagome's question. "I grow everyday. You're supposed to."

"That's not quite what I meant," Kagome smiled, but sighed when she realized this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. "Can you hold my hands?"

"Okay." Rin agreed, happily reaching over to Kagome's hands.

"Focus on me," Kagome said, beginning to gently pull her aura in and push it out again. "Do you feel anything?"

It took a moment, but finally Rin's expression changed to curiosity. "What is that?"

"It's my priestess power," Kagome replied, continuing to pull and push out her aura. "It's easier for you to feel, because we are holding hands. You don't quite understand your own power yet."

"I have powers?"

"I think you do."

"How do I use them?

"You already are," Kagome said, offering the confused girl a smile. "That's what made me come over to you the other day. I could feel your aura. Aura usually comes from someone who has powers. Demons have auras as well."

Rin nodded in understanding. "Because they have powers."

"Exactly," Kagome said, turning Rin's hand over to face her palms to the ground. "But our power is different. Honestly, different than other priestesses. Our type of power incorporates our connection to the earth."

"What does that mean?" Rin asked, she raised eyebrow showed that she was confused again.

"Remember the white flower I gave you earlier in the garden?" Kagome asked, seeing the girl nod, she used one of her hands to make a single white flower grow in-between them.

Amazement filled Rin's features, as she reached forward to touch the petals on the flower. "You made this flower."

Kagome stood up, and reached down for Rin's hand to get the young girl to stand up as well. "I didn't know I could do that for a long time. However, this last year of my life I really started to learn about myself and my powers, and I think this is pretty incredible."

As Kagome made more flowers, Rin's eyes followed her with awe. "Can I do this too?"

"Let's see," Kagome said, getting back down to Rin's eye level. "First, you need to know what your powers feel like. It might feel like a wall when I push my aura out to meet yours."

It took a moment of silence, then Rin nodded. "I like that feeling. It feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. I feel safe."

"I know. It's pretty cool. Sometimes it can help you tell when someone is out there. If there is danger or an aura you don't recognize," Kagome explained, motioning down to the grass below them. "I want you to focus down on the grass, and I want you to think about making your own flowers."

Rin's eyes flickered downward, with a concentrated look on her face. However, after a few minutes, she frowned and met Kagome's eyes again. "It's not working."

"That's okay. You can do it. Focus on your aura, then try again," Kagome encouraged, keeping a smile on her face. However, she could tell after another few minutes that Rin was getting discouraged again. "I know it's difficult, but you can do it. I believe in you."

Rin nodded, and her focus intensified as she stared at the grass at their feet. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she hummed when nothing seemed to be happening. She felt the feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket again, and that brought a smile to her face. _Kagome._ A moment later, pink flowers were shooting up from the grass beneath their feet. "I did it! I did it!"

"I knew you could do it," Kagome said, smiling as Rin's cheerful exclamations were too cute. Her eyebrow raised at how many flowers Rin was creating. "Your flowers are pink."

"That's what I wanted," Rin replied, giggling as she reached out for Kagome's hand. "Will you make your flowers too?"

"Sure." Kagome agreed, and before she knew it, she was running around with Rin. Laughing and making flowers everywhere they went. Excitement flowing through both the girls, as they danced around.

**Inside the castle**

Golden eyes focused in on the scene that was happening on the land behind the castle. Sesshomaru was standing by an open window in the shadows as to not be seen from the grounds.

"Did you need anything else, Lord Sesshomaru?"

The voice of one of the younger dog demon servants was heard, and Sesshomaru remained focused outside. "No, you may go."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

The sound of the door was heard opening and closing, and his focus was drawn back outside. Rin was laughing as she danced around with Kagome. Pink and white flowers coming up wherever they went. Each time Rin's laughter went up in the air, his ears perked up a little, and the corners of his mouth slightly turned upward.

**After dinner**

"Rin, you look like you are going to fall asleep." Kagome said, as they were finishing up dinner. The young girl was relaxed back in her seat instead of the usual full of energy

"I was just about to say the same thing," Tora added, having come in to get Rin for her bath. However, she paused to offer Kagome a smile. "I wonder if it had to do with all that running around you two did today."

Kagome shrugged, as she propped her chin up on her hand. A twinkle in her eye. "It's possible," she said, her eyes flickering back over to Rin. "You should probably go get your bath before you fall asleep."

Rin nodded, as she got up. However, she paused before she could take more than a couple of steps to look back at Kagome. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning." Kagome replied with a smile.

It wasn't until after Rin said her goodnight to Sesshomaru and Kagome before leaving the room, that Sesshomaru's eyes focused on Kagome. "There are flowers outside on what was formally grass."

Thinking he was annoyed by that, Kagome waved it off. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. I can go take care of it."

"There will be no need for that." Sesshomaru said, stopping her before she could move.

"Oh right, I'm sure you have someone to do that kind of stuff..." Kagome trailed off, and they were in silence for a moment, before she finally stood up. "I should go to my room. I am going to have to get some sleep, and that way I'll be able to get out of your hair sooner rather than later."

"Get out of my hair?"

Sesshomaru's question stopped Kagome, and she turned back to face him. "It's an expression. It means to get out of your way. I'm sure that you have much better things to be doing. Hopefully, I'll be recovered enough tomorrow, and I can go on my way."

As Kagome met with Akiko by the doors and left the room, Sesshomaru remained sitting at the table. His eyes remaining on the doorway where the miko just left. _The miko shall be leaving tomorrow… _Standing up, he moved back to the windows that overlooked the backside of the castle, and his eyes focused on the white and pink flowers that overtook quite a large area that used to be just grass. _This won't do._

* * *

**A/N: Kagome's preparing to leave the castle. What do you think is to come when she returns back to her travels? Or when will she reunite with her friends? My favorite scene by far was writing when Kagome was helping Rin with exploring her powers. What was your favorite scene?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

**Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	3. Leaving The Castle

_Review:_

_Sesshomaru's question stopped Kagome, and she turned back to face him. "It's an expression. It means to get out of your way. I'm sure that you have much better things to be doing. Hopefully, I'll be recovered enough tomorrow, and I can go on my way."_

_As Kagome met with Akiko by the doors and left the room, Sesshomaru remained sitting at the table. His eyes remaining on the doorway where the miko just left. The miko shall be leaving tomorrow… Standing up, he moved back to the windows that overlooked the backside of the castle, and his eyes focused on the white and pink flowers that overtook quite a large area that used to be just grass. This won't do._

* * *

**The next morning**

Opening her eyes to find herself still in Sesshomaru's castle, Kagome sat up and sighed. _So, this is definitely not a long extended dream._ Pushing aside her blankets, she got up and stopped by the mirror in the room. Pushing aside the kimono she had worn to bed, she observed her abdomen, and found her wounds had healed up rather nicely. There was some bruising, but she knew that she would be fine to travel today.

The thought of leaving the castle made her move over to one of the windows in the room, as she pulled her kimono closed again. The sun had not yet started to rise, but it would anytime now. Even though she couldn't really see anything apart from the occasional shadowed tree or the large area where the garden would be, she knew that she would miss the beautiful view here. She was able to take a real bath last night, and the bath was really nice compared to what she would be able to get anywhere else in the feudal era. Then last night she had a really nice conversation with Akiko, and they talked a lot about her friends and how she came from a different era. _I'm definitely going to miss the people here._

Without much more thought, she slipped on some shoes, and tiptoed out of her room. Through the candlelit halls, she tried her best to remember where she was going. After a few wrong turns, she found herself finally at the back doors that would lead her outside. There was a slight chill that hit her from the early morning Fall air, and she pulled her kimono closer to her. She kept on walking until she found herself at the area where she and Rin made all of their flowers the day before, and to her surprise, they were still there. Smiling at the sight, she moved to sit down, and her eyes lifted to the skyline over the trees at the far North wall. _The sun will start to rise anytime now. Maybe I could get a little meditation in._

After fifteen minutes or so, she felt a strong aura getting closer to her. Recognizing who it was, she lessened her own aura that she had sent out as almost a protective barrier around herself while she was meditating. Almost as soon as she dropped the barrier, she heard soft footsteps on the grass that stopped almost ten feet away from her. She finally opened her eyes to see that the sun had started rising, and she could finally see the flowers that surrounded her more clearly.

She sat there for another few minutes, then she finally stood up. Out of the corner of her eye, she found herself looking to Sesshomaru. However, he was only clad in his kimono, and not his usual armor. Shaking her head, she turned to go back to the castle.

"You'll be leaving today?"

Sesshomaru's question stopped Kagome, before she could leave the flowered area. "Yes, I was thinking before noon. That way I could say goodbye to Rin at breakfast."

It was quiet for a moment, but finally, Sesshomaru nodded slightly. "You shall be seen by the healer before you leave."

"Okay. I'll be able to say goodbye to everyone else as well," Kagome said, a smile coming to her face. "I would say goodbye to the seamstress. But for some reason, I think I might have scared her with my humor yesterday."

Sesshomaru's stoic expression remained, however his eyes flickered in her direction for a moment.

After they fell into silence again, Kagome reached down and plucked one of Rin's pink flowers from the ground, and she clutched it to her chest as she started in the direction of the castle. _I'm going to miss this place I think._

**After breakfast**

Rin's expression saddened, as she took her last bite from breakfast. Her eyes on Kagome, then to Sesshomaru. "Does Kagome really have to leave?"

Before Sesshomaru could respond, Kagome reached across the table for Rin's hand. "Yes, it's time for me to leave. I have to go home… But it's okay, because I'm sure we'll see each other again."

Rin sighed in defeat, as they all got up from the table. "I guess."

"Why the long face, Rin?" Tora asked, as she and Akiko entered the room to retrieve Kagome and Rin.

"Kagome is leaving." Rin replied with a sigh.

Akiko raised an eyebrow in Kagome's direction. "Really? You're leaving?"

"That's the plan, I just have to go see the healer one last time, then I want to leave before noon," Kagome replied, kneeling down to Rin's eye level, she smiled. "Hey, I know you're sad that I'm leaving. But I was only supposed to be here temporarily. I have to go home to my friends. They are probably worried about me."

That didn't stop Rin's sad expression. "But who am I going to make flowers with?"

"You can make flowers on your own. I know you can," Kagome said, still keeping her smile on her face, as she took Rin's hand. "You have to work real hard, so that way when we see each other again, we can make flowers together."

That finally seemed to cheer Rin up a bit. "I can't wait!"

"Alright," Kagome said, standing back up, but she kept Rin's hand in hers. They continued down the hall with Akiko and Tora, and she glanced out the window to see the sun had risen quite a bit. "How about you come to help me pack everything up? Then we can play for my last hour here."

"Okay, let's go!" Rin exclaimed, hurrying forward with Kagome right behind her. Both laughing as Rin called for Akiko and Tora to catch up.

**An hour later**

Putting the last of her belongs in her bag, Kagome pulled out some clothes, as her eyes went to Rin who was giggling and jumping on the bed. "We probably should have spent a little less time running around, and let me focus on packing."

"But it was so much fun!" Rin exclaimed, collapsing on Kagome's bed in a fit of giggles.

"It was." Kagome agreed, stepping behind the changing screen to slip off the kimono, and start putting on her normal clothes.

Rin's eyes focused on the changing screen from where she was sitting on Kagome's bed. "Why are you changing?"

"I have my own clothes to wear," Kagome reminded Rin, resting the Kimono over the side of the changing screen, as she had been doing in order to show she had worn it recently and that it needed washing. "I was only temporarily borrowing the kimonos while I was here."

"Well, I like the kimonos on you."

"Thank you. I liked them too." Kagome said, stepping out from behind the changing screen. She felt a little more normal wearing her normal leggings instead of the kimono.

Rin's head tilted to the side, as she studied Kagome. "Why do you wear clothes like that again?"

"Because they are comfortable and easy to move around in," Kagome said, smiling at how interested everyone seemed to be on her choice of clothing. _Leggings have been my best friend ever since I graduated from school and no longer wore my uniform everywhere. _"They are light and easy to layer under things if I need to warm up."

The door opened to reveal Akiko and Tora. Right away, Akiko's attention moved to Kagome. "You have been requested."

"Oh okay." Kagome said, combing through her hair that had got ruffled when she was changing.

"Rin," Tora started, motioning to the young girl. "We are going to your room."

Rin frowned immediately. "But it's almost time for Kagome to go."

Kagome smiled, as she knelt down to Rin's level and she hugged the small girl. "It's okay Rin. We'll see each other again, and we'll have a lot of fun making flowers okay?"

"Okay." Rin said, finally letting go of Kagome and leaving the room with Tora.

Waiting until she heard Rin's door close, she grabbed her bag, and walked with Akiko out into the hall. "It's rough seeing her so sad like that."

"I'm sure Tora is telling her something to cheer her up right about now," Akiko said, a knowing look in her eye, and a smile on her face. "You'll need to make a brief stop at the healer's first."

"Okay, then I really should be going-"

"You were requested as well, remember?" Akiko interrupted, chuckling at Kagome having clearly forgotten that part.

"Right," Kagome said, with a nod, and after a moment of silence, she hummed. "What exactly am I being requested for?"

"Lord Sesshomaru has requested for you to come to his study."

"Oh," Kagome laughed for a moment. "I guess I have overstayed my welcome."

"You seem quite happy about that fact." Akiko noted with a smirk on her face.

"Well, I'm sure Sesshomaru has other things to do than have me taking up space in his castle."

That didn't seem to lessen Akiko's smirk. "You are pretty bold to speak of him without his title."

Kagome shrugged. "That's just from being around Inuyasha so much. He never uses formalities towards Sesshomaru… Or anyone really."

"Oh yes," Akiko said, guiding Kagome down another hallway. "You said that you traveled with Inuyasha when we were talking last night."

"Yes-" Kagome broke off when they appeared at the healer's wing, and she smiled at Chiyo when they walked in. "Let's get to this Chiyo. I'm ready to be fully healed."

**A half hour later**

They had arrived outside a pair of two big double doors that Kagome remembered passing a few times since she woke up here a couple of days ago. When Akiko stopped, Kagome turned to her. "If I don't see you again before I leave, I wanted to say goodbye."

"Goodbye." Akiko replied cheerfully, before she opened the door to the study after knocking a few times.

Once the door to the study was shut behind her, Kagome was able to take in the room. There were two walls covered in bookshelves filled with scrolls and grand books. On the far side of the room, there were big windows that took up most of the wall.

"Come here."

Sesshomaru's voice caught Kagome's attention, and she finally focused on where a table and chair sat nearby the base of the windows. When she got closer, she found that the view the windows gave was of most of the land behind the castle. The garden area, then the area where she and Rin had created all of the pink and white flowers that had still yet to be removed from the land. The sight of said flowers had brought a smile to her face.

"The healer has seen to you?"

Sesshomaru's question got Kagome's attention. "Yes, she said I still have some healing to do, but I'm in a good enough condition to travel. I am good to go."

Silence followed Kagome's words, until finally, Sesshomaru nodded once. "I will be departing from the castle today as well, and I am requesting that you accompany my ward."

Fighting the urge to raise an eyebrow, Kagome hesitated for a moment to speak. "I would love to spend more time with Rin, but I have already been away from my friends long enough without explanation. It is already going to take me a few days travel to get to them, and I can't afford anymore."

"We will be traveling along the same path for some time. It will not delay your travels."

At the lack of specifics, Kagome took a moment, but finally, she gave in and nodded. "Okay… I better go tell Rin. She's going to be so happy that we are going to be able to make more flowers together."

Sesshomaru stood up from his chair. "Rin has been informed that we are leaving."

"Oh okay." Kagome said, gravitating closer to the big windows in the room. _You can see so much from here._

"Miko."

Sesshomaru's voice got her attention, and she looked back to see him standing by the door now. A frown grew on her face, as she walked out of the room. "My name is Kagome."

Despite her correction, Sesshomaru remained silent, as they both started down the hall. However, after a minute of walking, Sesshomaru stopped abruptly.

Kagome had to raise up on her tip-toes to avoid running into him, and she had to correct her stance to regain balance. "Why are we stopping?"

Right after Kagome stopped speaking, the seamstress exited the room nearest them. The woman bowed her head respectfully to Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru."

"The miko wishes to speak to you."

Raising an eyebrow at what Sesshomaru said, Kagome took a moment, but finally caught on. She offered the seamstress a smile. "I wanted to thank you again for the beautiful kimonos that I got to wear while I was here. While I'll probably never wear anything that nice ever again, it was nice to have them while I was here."

The seamstress gave her a simple nod and smile. "You are welcome."

"I also wanted to say goodbye," Kagome said, motioning towards herself. "I have to go back to my friends soon before they think something terrible has happened to me. Which isn't that far off, because I do tend to attract danger and find myself in trouble a lot."

While Kagome laughed, the seamstress held a rather surprised look in her eye, before she recovered and put a smile back on her face. "Well try to stay out of trouble."

"I will… Goodbye," Kagome said, moving to catch up with Sesshomaru who had already started walking again. Almost as soon as they were out of earshot of the seamstress, she sighed heavily. "I'm pretty sure she's still scared of me. Why can't I just hold normal conversation with people?"

Sesshomaru had been looking forward, but the miko's words brought a flare of amusement to him. He had to work to keep his facial features in his usual stoic expression, but a slight upward curve of the corner of his mouth appeared.

As they arrived by the front doors, Rin was jumping up and down and all sorts of happy. "Kagome, we get to travel together!"

"I know. I just couldn't miss out on all the fun you would have without me," Kagome said, offering Rin a smile, before her eyes went to Akiko who was standing off to the side. "Goodbye Akiko. I enjoyed talking to you while I was here, and I hope I can see you again someday."

"Goodbye Kagome." Akiko replied with a smile.

Once outside they were greeted by Jaken and Ah-Un by the gates. Jaken's eyes widened at the sight of Kagome. "The human woman is still here?"

"The "human woman" is leaving now, thank you very much." Kagome bit back, stalking past Jaken irritably out the gates. _There is something about him that gets under my skin._

"Wait Kagome!" Rin called after her, hurrying to catch up with the older woman.

Jaken's jaw dropped. "The wench is traveling with us-"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru interrupted, not saying anything more, as he started forward. His eyes slid slightly to the left to where Kagome and Rin were walking ahead of them. They remained there for a moment, before his eyes focused back forward.

**A couple of hours later**

"What do you usually do?" Rin asked Kagome, as they started down a slightly curved path.

"Well, I travel a lot," Kagome said, her arms crossed lightly across her chest. "I'm almost always with my friends too."

"Where do you travel?"

"Not anywhere specific. We just like to travel, and we go all over the place. Most of the time we go village to village, and help rid of any demons that are causing trouble."

"Why?"

"Because we like to help people," Kagome said, smiling at Rin's questions. Her mind went to Inuyasha. "Of course it took Inuyasha quite a while to get on board with voluntarily helping others, because the first two years he'd rather be hunting down jewel shards.

Rin hummed in though. "Inuyasha has the white hair and the fluffy ears right?"

"Yeah." Kagome said, laughing at Rin's mentioning of Inuyasha's ears.

"Inuyasha is your friend?"

That brought a smile back to Kagome's face. "Yes, he is one of my best friends. No matter how much he irritates me sometimes."

"So you and your friends travel to get rid of all of the demons?"

"Not exactly, because not all demons are bad," Kagome said, however, she quickly waved her hand. "Although I'm not saying you should make a habit of going up to demons or humans that you don't know, and assume they are friendly. My friends and I only go after people who are trying to hurt or bother others."

"That's nice of you." Rin said, slowing down to go to Ah-Un, as her legs were getting tired.

Kagome paused to look back to where Rin was going. She raised an eyebrow at how there seemed to be a unified pause in Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un's pace to allow a moment for Rin to climb onto Ah-Un's back. Once she settled, they continued on like nothing had changed, and she settled back to walk alongside Ah-Un now. _They all seem to be on the wavelength. Kind of like me and my friends… However, there are a lot of bumps on our groups wavelength._

"Can we make some more Kagome flowers later?"

"Kagome flowers?"

"When you make your flowers."

Kagome laughed a little at what Rin was talking about. "They are just normal flowers. We don't have to call them by my name."

Rin shook her head. "You said that they don't have a name. That should be there name."

"That's true," Kagome said, nodding in acceptance. "Your flowers are different than mine, so we need to name your flowers too."

"Oh yes," Rin said, her eyes brightening up as she giggled. "Rin flowers?"

"I think that's-"

"That is incredibly idiotic." Jaken interrupted Kagome.

Kagome proceeded to "accidentally" step on Jaken's foot, causing him to holler, and she just smiled brightly at Rin. "I love it. We can make tons of Kagome and Rin flowers later."

As the conversation shifted to something else, ahead of them Sesshomaru was staring up at the sky. Having been listening to their conversation, it had caused the corner of his mouth to turn upward. The two humans behind him were making the trip go by a lot faster than normal with their chatter, and it surprisingly wasn't as bothersome as he would think.

**A few hours later**

Rin giggled, as she led Kagome by her hand through what seemed like a maze of trees. "Over here! Over here!"

Kagome laughed at Rin's chanting, and she ducked to avoid a branch that Rin was able to clearly walk under no problem. "Where are you taking me Rin?"

"It's a surprise." Rin giggled.

"Okay." Kagome said, looking over her shoulder where they were leaving the others behind. They had just taken a short break in their travels or a meal, and we're going to start traveling again soon. Rin managed to negotiate a few extra minutes on their break to take Kagome somewhere.

Rin guided her out into a clearing alongside a river. There were flowers everywhere, and a small space of green grass. "We're here."

"Wow," Kagome said in awe. "You've been here before?"

"Yes many times," Rin replied, motioning around her. "I like all the flowers here. Almost as much as all the flowers at Lord Sesshomaru's castle."

"They are pretty flowers." Kagome said, kneeling down to smell one of the red roses that showed up in a patch of white and yellow ones.

Rin watched Kagome for a minute, her hands together behind her back. "Maybe we can make our flowers here."

"Ah, so that is what you were planning," Kagome said, setting her bag down by a tree, then she sat down on a big grassy area. "Come on."

Rin hurriedly obliged and sat down across from Kagome. "Okay, let's make flowers."

"First, I want you to remember what we did yesterday," Kagome said, taking Rin's hands. "Feel out my aura."

"I thought it was your priestess power."

"They are kind of one in the same. My aura is an extension of my power. You need to be able to understand your aura to help you understand your power."

"Okay," Rin said, focusing intently around herself for a moment, then she gave a nod. "I feel it."

Having been moving her aura in and out to give Rin a little help, Kagome smiled, and started with her own little white flowers. "Good, now focus on making flowers."

Rin tried for a few minutes, but her pink Rin flowers failed to grow. A frustrated expression appeared on her face. "I can't do it."

"You can do it," Kagome said encouragingly. "You did it yesterday, and you can do it again."

"It's not working this time." Rin insisted, her tone showing her frustration.

"Focus on the grass around you and think of making your Rin flowers. Don't give up. You can do it."

After Kagome stopped speaking, silence filled the air, and Rin gained a determined look on her face. A couple of minutes of focus later, Rin's pink flowers rose up alongside the white flowers that Kagome created. "I did it!"

"You did." Kagome said, laughing as Rin jumped up and started moving around and spreading her pink flowers everywhere. They mixed in with the white, yellow, and red roses nicely. In the midst of Rin's excitement, Kagome realized another aura brushing up against her own, and she looked to her left to see a shadowed figure under the shade from the trees. Golden eyes met hers.

"Will you come to play with me?" Rin asked, getting Kagome's attention again.

"Maybe we can later today," Kagome said, a smile on her face at how Rin hasn't yet noticed Sesshomaru was there. "We've still got some traveling to do today."

"Aw… But It just got to make my flowers again." Rin said, her tone showing obvious disappointment.

"I know. It'll get easier Rin," Kagome said with encouragement. "You've just got to be patient and work hard, and it'll come easier each time you do it."

"Okay-" Rin broke off when she seemed to have finally realized Sesshomaru was there. "Are we leaving?"

"Yes." Was Sesshomaru's one-worded reply.

"Alright." Rin agreed right away, no complaints anymore.

Kagome smiled at Rin who started to skip ahead to return back to Jaken and Ah-UN. She followed more slowly back. Sesshomaru falling into step a few feet beside her. "Rin wanted to make more flowers, and I don't think she fully understands that it'll take more than just one small session to learn how to use her powers. But she'll get there. It'll just take some time."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything, however, he acknowledged her words with a small dip of his chin.

Accepting his gesture, Kagome chuckled to herself, as they finally arrived back with the others.

**That evening**

Kagome's eyes landed on Rin just in time to see the young girl's tired eyes in the light from the fire. "You look pretty tired."

"I'm not." Rin denied through a yawn.

Kagome laughed, as she started pulling her sleeping bag out of her bag. "Sure you're not tired. Because not tired people definitely yawn all the time."

Rin giggled, but she tilted her head to the side at Kagome. "What is that?"

"I'm getting ready to sleep and this is much more comfortable and warmer to sleep in when I'm sleeping outside," Kagome said, getting into the sleeping bag, she paused before she could zip it back up. "Do you want to join me?"

Rin nodded, and slid into the sleeping back beside Kagome, and without any prompting curled up beside Kagome. "This is nice and warm."

Rin's words made Kagome smile, and it warmed her heart at how Rin was so accepting of her so quickly. _She reminds me of Shippo. _The thought of her adopted kitsune and her other friends. She missed them, and was more than ready to be reunited with them again. _But I'm just not so __ready for the day that comes and I have to say goodbye to Rin. _She thought, her eyes slid down to focus on what now was just a mess of Rin's hair, as the young girl was already well on her way to sleep. She smiled lightly before closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the clearing, Sesshomaru stood up once he could tell both Rin and Kagome were asleep. Walking past Jaken and Ah-Un, with only a brief pause to remind Jaken to watch over the two humans. He kept walking until he reached a small clearing. With the shade from the trees above and the night sky, it was rather dark out, but he was still able to see rather well. He could see the pink and white flowers that decorated the once flowerless grass that Kagome and Rin had made after dinner.

Taking a seat by a tree, he leaned back against it, and let his hand fall to rest on the flower nearest him. A simple white flower that's petals held softness, and seemed bright despite it being dark out. Humming after a moment, his eyes flickered up to the sky, before he closed them.

* * *

**A/N: What was your favorite scene of the chapter? In the next chapter, we will find some familiar faces entering the story. Who do you think it will be?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	4. Reuniting With Shippo

_Review:_

_Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the clearing, Sesshomaru stood up once he could tell both Rin and Kagome were asleep. Walking past Jaken and Ah-Un, with only a brief pause to remind Jaken to watch over the two humans. He kept walking until he reached a small clearing. With the shade from the trees above and the night sky, it was rather dark out, but he was still able to see rather well. He could see the pink and white flowers that decorated the once flowerless grass that Kagome and Rin had made after dinner._

_Taking a seat by a tree, he leaned back against it, and let his hand fall to rest on the flower nearest him. A simple white flower that's petals held softness, and seemed bright despite it being dark out. Humming after a moment, his eyes flickered up to the sky, before he closed them._

* * *

**Middle of the nightmare**

Kagome's eyes snapped open, jarred awake from a vividly bad dream where Rin had ended up getting impaled by the fog demon instead of her. She was comforted a little, as she felt pressure on one side where Rin was curled up against her. After calming down a little, she managed to slip out of the sleeping bag without waking up Rin. After slipping on her shoes, she got up and walked away from the clearing that had been sleeping in. Once far enough away, she paused to take a breath. _I'll just get in a quick run, and it'll be close enough to morning to where I don't have to go back to sleep._

An hour and a half later, she had finally returned to the clearing after getting a run in and bathing in a nearby river to cool down afterward. She set her bag down gently that she had briefly come back to retrieve before bathing, and she re-started the fire. It was still dark out, and would be for at least another hour. Once the fire was going on its on, she sat down and leaned back against a tree. Not planning on re-joining Rin in her sleeping bag, as she knew she could risk waking her up. She settled on meditating until the others woke up.

"You left."

Sesshomaru's voice startled Kagome, and she opened her eyes to find golden ones staring at her from across the small clearing. Forcing herself to relax again, Kagome shrugged. "Yes… I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I just went for a little run. Then I bathed and came back."

Sesshomaru didn't respond right away, as it seemed like his golden eyes were piercing into her. "Why couldn't you go back to sleep?"

A little surprised at the question, Kagome hesitated for a moment, then she sighed. "I had a bad dream." Was all she said, her eyes going down to where Rin still slept peacefully, before she looked away in the opposite direction. Pleased that Sesshomaru didn't continue the conversation, she closed her eyes again, and tried to go back to meditating.

**Later that afternoon**

Rin paused in making her flowers, as her eyes finally fell back on Kagome. "I like the way you put your hair up."

"It keeps it out of my face nicely," Kagome replied, motioning back to the flowers on the grass. "Now don't get distracted. Those flowers aren't going to make themselves."

That sent Rin into a fit of giggles, as she started back on making her flowers. She was working on controlling where her flowers came up instead of just all over the place, and so far it only worked half the time. "I can't control them."

"You can. You've just got to keep working at it," Kagome encouraged, watching Rin turn onto a new area of grass, and she actually stopped and was able to create a small patch of flowers. "Don't forget to be mindful of your aura. Once you find it, you can tell if there are others around you."

Rin was quiet for a moment, before she broke into a fit of giggles. "I can feel yours again."

Kagome smiled at how happy that seemed to make Rin. "Yes that's mine..." She trailed off when she noticed Rin's expression change to one of focus again.

"I feel something else," Rin said, humming as she was trying to study what she felt. "I don't know what it is."

Kagome smiled, as she glanced briefly over her shoulder where she knew Sesshomaru was in the treeline. Focusing back on Rin, she chuckled. "You'll figure that one out, but it's a nice aura. You don't need to worry about that one."

Rin nodded in acceptance. "Okay."

"Now try to bring your aura back in." Kagome said, and she noticed how quickly confusion filled Rin's features.

"What does that mean?" Rin asked.

"You're pushing your aura out as you go about the day, and sometimes it gets too big and can attract people from farther away," Kagome tried to explain in a way to keep Rin from getting scared. "I want you to try to pull your aura back in. Try to imagine your aura smaller, and bring it closer to your own body."

Rin attempted to work at bring her aura in, but it wasn't happening for her. "It's not working."

"That's okay," Kagome said, offering Rin an encouraging smile. "Let's try that some other time, and now you can just make some more flowers."

"Okay!" Rin excitedly agreed to, as she started running around and making her flowers again.

She walked over to stand at the side of the clearing where Sesshomaru was, and turned back to watch as Rin ran around the clearing happily. "She's pretty good at this part of using her powers now."

It was quiet for a long moment, before Sesshomaru seemed to nod once. "It appears so."

"It is probably only because she has so much fun doing this part," Kagome said with a small laugh. _When I was younger my mom used to teach me things this way. Making it fun always encouraged me to try harder._ Despite seeing Rin so happy, a frown soon settled on Kagome's face. "It worries me that she doesn't have control over her aura. It seems to mellow down when we do these little exercises, but when she's not focused it can get out of control and attract anyone around her."

"I will not allow anything to happen to Rin."

Kagome smiled at his words. "I know."

Unknown to Kagome, Sesshomaru had taken himself aback at his open admission to her. His stoic expression returned to his face, as his eyes went to Rin. "It's time to go."

Rin nodded right away, and skipped back over to Ah-Un to get ready for travel.

**Later that day**

"Stop calling me that!" Kagome exclaimed, narrowly avoiding shooting Jaken with a ray of her purifying power. She was quick to hold a smug smile on her face as she took Jaken aback. "My bad."

While Kagome's words had Rin giggling, Jaken started squabbling at her. "You almost killed me you human-"

"Don't say it." Kagome warned, before her focus returned forward. Pleased to hear no more words from Jaken, but she had a strong suspicion it was only due to a glare Sesshomaru had sent his way.

"Why are you wearing something new?"

Kagome looked down at the maroon sweater she wore over her tank top and leggings. "It's a bit colder today without the sun out, and I wanted to stay warm..." She trailed off at how Rin was so closely studying her sweater. "These clothes are common where I live. Of course, there are plenty more options, but I just like these."

"Where are you from?" Rin asked curiously.

Kagome opened her mouth, but hesitated in responding at first. "Well, that's kind of complicated… How can I explain this?"

That only seemed to confuse Rin again. "You don't know where you are from?"

"No I do know. It's just-" Kagome broke off and stopped walking. Her eyes darting into the forest to their right, as she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Woman, what is your problem?" Jaken asked, having nearly ran into Kagome when she stopped all of a sudden.

Kagome ignored him, as she kept looking into the forest. Finally, she caught onto a familiar aura that sent her running into the forest.

"Kagome!" Rin called, sliding off Ah-Un, before she took off into the trees after the older woman. "Wait!"

Meanwhile, Kagome had gone down a slight slope, and found herself looking at a very large lizard demon towering over a tiny Shippo. She didn't skip a beat, as she pulled her bow and an arrow out. She shot off the arrow, and it was enough to lodge deeply into the demon's shoulder. The lizard demon screeched in pain, as her purification power started to grow from the arrow. She darted forward, scooped up Shippo, and with one swift motion, took her knife out to impale into the lizard demon. It sped up the purification process, and the lizard demon was gone within seconds.

"Kagome. Mama." Shippo said once they were alone.

"Shippo," Kagome said right back, as she put her knife away. She brought Shippo much closer to her to wrap her arms around him. Her heart melting as he nestled his face into her neck, and her smile widened with the love she had for her adopted kitsune. "I missed you Shippo."

"I missed you too." Shippo replied, but his focus moved away from Kagome to higher up on the hill Kagome came from.

Glancing over to see Rin standing there watching them, Kagome remembered the situation she was in. "We need to go back."

"Go back where?" Shippo asked, his eyes going from Rin to Kagome, as Kagome was walking in Rin's direction. "What's going on?"

Kagome took Rin's hand, before staring back through the forest. "It's a long story."

When they broke through the tree line, Shippo's eyes widened to see Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un. "Uh, Kagome?"

Smiling at how she could see the confusion and nervousness in Shippo's eyes, Kagome chuckled. "There's a lot I need to tell you."

"Woman, we do not have time for you wander off-"

"Well, we made time. Shippo was in danger and needed me," Kagome interrupted Jaken, narrowing her eyes at him, but she offered a smile when she looked back to Shippo. "Let's see..."

A half hour passed by the time Kagome caught Shippo up on a majority of what happened while she was gone. Shippo was giggling when she finished up. "I can't believe all that stuff happened to you."

"The injury part is not that unbelievable," Kagome said, chuckling at the thought. "I am a danger magnet after all."

"Shippo..." Rin started, her head tilted slightly to the side, as she studied the kitsune. "You called Kagome your mama."

Shippo giggled at that, as he moved to Kagome's other shoulder to be closer to where Rin was seated on Ah-Un. "I lost my mother and father a few years ago. Kagome took me in, and she's my mama now."

"I lost my parents a few years ago too," Rin said, her expression falling for a moment, then she smiled again. "But I'm much happier now."

"Me too." Shippo agreed, nuzzling his face into Kagome's neck again.

Kagome felt like her heart was melting at their little exchange, but that didn't stop her from finally getting Shippo's focus again. "What were you doing out in the middle of the forest by yourself?"

"I was looking for you. You didn't come back like usual," Shippo explained honestly, before he smiled. "You worried everyone. Even Inuyasha."

That made Kagome laugh. "Somehow I doubt that."

"I wasn't there when you left. Did something happen?" Shippo asked curiously.

"You know it's getting kind of late." Kagome said to change the subject after seeing Rin yawn, then Shippo followed shortly after.

That seemed to make Sesshomaru finally come to a stop, as he motioned to the right with a single nod of his head in that direction. "There is a small clearing. We will stay there tonight."

"Perfect," Kagome said, her eyes going back to the children. "There is a stream nearby, and we can all have a nice bath."

**An hour later**

Rin ran into the clearing, her hands on her damp hair. "She's trying to kill me!"

Jaken's eyes focused pointedly on the tiny human girl. "What are you rambling on about?"

Kagome appeared from the same direction Rin ran from, and she was waving a comb around in Rin's direction. "Rin let me get the tangles out of your hair, or else it is going to get out of control."

"I don't want to." Rin replied immediately, her hands still resting on her hair.

Kagome sat down, and gave Rin a calm look. "Fine. Instead of brushing your hair now, when it gets so tangled up, then we will cut it all off."

Rin's jaw dropped open, then she hurried over to sit in front of Kagome. "You can brush it."

Smiling at how quickly that got Rin to agree, Kagome started slowly working on the tangles in her hair. "I'll try to be gentle… I know you don't like it, but if you take care of it every day, the tangles won't get this bad."

Shippo strolled over, still damp from having just finished his own bath. "I don't know why you don't like getting your hair brushed. I like getting mine brushed."

"Don't let Shippo fool you," Kagome said to Rin, before she smiled in Shippo's direction. "He did not like it at first either."

That made Rin smile and giggle a little. Rin seemed to be a little more content as Kagome finished up with her hair after a few minutes, but she hurriedly jumped up as soon as she was done. Shippo was quick to take Rin's place so Kagome could comb through his hair next.

As Rin and Shippo started a new conversation about the leaves starting to fall lately, Kagome caught sight of Sesshomaru getting up to leave the area. _He might be going to bathe now… Not that I know for sure because he doesn't talk hardly ever._ When she finished with Shippo, she put the comb away, and clapped her hands a few times to get the kids attention. "Let's get us something to eat."

**In the middle of the night**

Kagome's eyes snapped open after suffering the uncomfortable nightmare of something happening to Rin or Shippo. It was still dark out, and she had to be careful to slip out of the sleeping bag. With both Rin and Shippo on either side of her, it made the process near impossible. Just as she got out, she noticed Shippo's eyes flutter open, but with some gentle massage of his back, she got him back to sleep. Glancing around the quiet clearing, she stoked the fire to get it back to burning nicely again, then she started to tip-toe away from the others. _I'll just go get a run in, then I can meditate to pass the time afterward. The usual..._

**A few hours later**

Shippo hopped up on Kagome's shoulder, before they finally started traveling. "At this rate, we'll be back in Kaede's village by tomorrow morning."

"That's right." Kagome said, unable to help but sigh.

Immediately Shippo's head tilted to the side in confusion. "Are you not happy to go back and see our friends?"

"Of course I'm happy to see them." Kagome said, smiling to re-assure Shippo.

"What are your friends like?" Rin asked, walking alongside Kagome, and not yet on Ah-Un's back.

Kagome hummed at first. "Well, there is Inuyasha, and he's kind of… complicated."

"But he's your best friend?" Rin countered, remembering a little from what Kagome already told her about him.

"Yes, but even so," Kagome paused to laugh a bit. "He's probably the most irritating person I have ever met."

That made Shippo laugh, and Rin joined in after a moment.

"Then there is also Miroku and Sango-"

"Sango is Kohaku's older sister," Shippo interrupted, however, at Kagome's raised eyebrow at him for interrupting, he laughed nervously. "Sorry."

"I remember Kohaku," Rin said, a smile on her face. "Does he live in your village too?"

"He does," Kagome said, her focus going back to Miroku and Sango. "Miroku and Sango have been traveling with us for over three years now. Then after we defeated Naraku, they got married."

"Oh that's sweet." Rin said the same time Shippo mumbled something about not wanting to talk about all the love and gross stuff.

Despite Shippo's mumbling, Kagome heard him perfectly, and she laughed. However, an aura quickly got her attention, and she barely had a chance to take a single breath before Koga appeared.

Rin made a squeak noise in surprise. Meanwhile, Shippo just sighed heavily, as he deadpanned. "Oh boy."

"Lovely Kagome." Koga started, taking one of her hands, and giving it a simple kiss.

Kagome gave an almost nervous sounding laugh. "Hey Koga."

Koga's eyes took in her travel companions. "I'm surprised you're traveling with another group."

"I'm on my way back to Kaede's village to meet up with my friends actually." Kagome explained, noticing that Koga seemed to grow an almost irritated expression.

"Why would that mutt let you travel by yourself?"

"Inuyasha didn't really have any say in the matter," Kagome replied, as she shrugged. "And to be fair, I was the one who left them-"

"I would never let you leave by yourself."

At Koga's usual confident and alpha attitude, Kagome sighed, but she smiled anyway. "Okay."

"Yeah I went by your village to say "hello" the other day, and dog face was really pissy," Koga said, his arms crossed over his chest. "What was that about?"

Kagome sighed and set Shippo down on Ah-Un next to Rin. With a swift wave of her hand, she put up a barrier around the children.

Shippo right away jumped up and pointed at Kagome. "Dang it! You always do this when there is something you don't want me to listen to! This isn't fair"

"Shippo," Kagome said, before she started forward with Koga. "Inuyasha and I have had quite a few disagreements lately, and this time he made me so angry that I may or may not have sent him six feet into the ground."

Koga laughed as he pictured it. "I would have loved to see that."

"Yeah well, in the moment it was not that funny," Kagome said, then she sighed. "He can be so incredibly irritating and rude sometimes."

"Well, if you get tired of dealing with dog face, you always have a place to stay with my pack," Koga said, his usual smirk growing on his face. "We could use another female presence around."

Kagome chuckled. "Despite how frequently Inuyasha and I get into arguments, I couldn't be so far away from my friends for that long. And as irritating as Inuyasha can be sometimes, we're still friends. We always will be."

"Well, you never know. The offer still stands," Koga replied, his eyes left hers to look ahead. "I'd never be rude to you."

"I know that," Kagome said, then she crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't say that you wouldn't irritate me from time to time."

"That's to keep you on your toes," Koga chuckled, then he lifted his nose upward a bit to sniff. Then he took Kagome's hand and kissed it once. "I hate to say it, but it's time that I get a move on."

"Well it was nice to see you for a few minutes," Kagome said, sharing a smile with Koga before he heads off in a much faster pace into the forest to the right. Not even thirty seconds later, two more familiar face appeared. "Hey Ginta and Hakkaku."

"Kagome," both wolf demon's chorused. Ginta—out of breath—slowed down to look at Kagome after passing her. "Koga-"

"He went that way," Kagome said, pointing to the forest on the right. She smiled after they both said a brief thank you and goodbye, before disappearing as well. She took down the barrier around Shippo and Rin, and she reached an arm out for Shippo. "Okay."

Shippo, however, crossed his arms and looked away from her silently. A frown on his face.

Kagome smiled, as she dropped her arm. "Oh the silent treatment, huh? I guess if that is how it's going to be, I will just have to accept it. Although it really hurts my feelings, but I guess we just won't talk anymore."

That seemed to do it, as Shippo immediately gave in. He jumped off Ah-Un and up to Kagome's arms to nestle his face into her neck.

Kagome smiled and rested a hand on his back, a warm feeling in her heart at his silent affection.

**Later that day**

Kagome sighed as she watched Rin giggle once again, as Shippo made mushrooms on the other side of the clearing. "Rin try to focus on your aura."

Rin's focus was brought back once again, but she scowled after a moment. "It's not working."

"You need to focus- Shippo come over here," Kagome said, getting him to come over and sit on her lap. _Hopefully, if he's with me, he won't be distracting Rin. _"Alright, try again Rin."

As Rin's aura expanded it met Kagome's, and the older priestess pushed lightly against Rin's aura. Rin wobbled a little at the pressure against her aura. "Why is it doing that?"

"My aura is stronger than yours, and it gives me the ability to overpower yours and push it back. Eventually, you will be able to push back against my aura with no problem, but you need to work and get stronger," Kagome explained, pulling her aura away to leave Rin's alone. "Now, I want you to remember that feeling of my aura pushing yours back, and you need to try to do that yourself."

Rin, however, was focused back on Shippo. She giggled at all the faces he was making.

_This is going to be more difficult than I thought it would be. _Kagome thought, as she sighed at how easily distracted Rin was. "Rin, I know you want to play with Shippo right now, but I just need you to focus for just a few more minutes."

Rin's face scrunched up as she focused, and after a minute, she smiled big. "I feel yours… And another thing. The same thing I felt yesterday."

_Sesshomaru's aura. _Kagome thought, giving Rin an encouraging smile. "That's good. Now try to bring in your aura. I'm going to use mine to help you a little bit, but you try to do it."

At first it was just Kagome pushing against Rin's aura to get her to bring it in, but she did manage to help a little bit at the end. "I can't feel it anymore. That other thing. I can still feel you though."

"Push your aura back out." Kagome instructed.

Rin's face lit up with a smile. "I feel it again."

"That's great work Rin." Kagome praised when she noticed Rin's aura shrinking a little after a moment.

Rin's focus had disappeared again, as she giggled at Shippo.

Knowing that this would be all they would accomplish at the moment, Kagome sighed. "Alright, we're done for now. You two can go play-"

"Shippo come watch me make flowers!" Rin interrupted Kagome, as she started running around on the grass and pink flowers came up on the grass after her.

"Whoa! Those are just like Kagome's!" Shippo exclaimed, as he got up to run after Rin.

Kagome created some of her own white flowers to both the kids amusement. Despite her slight frustration at how difficult it was to get Rin to focus today, it made her feel good seeing how happy Rin and Shippo were. Standing up, she walked over to the side of the clearing, and sat down to lean back against a tree. She soon realized Sesshomaru had joined her, as he was standing a few feet away. "Rin's leaving flowers everywhere we go."

Sesshomaru's eyes had been following the kids around the clearing, before they focused on a small patch of white flowers among all the pink ones. "You have left some as well."

"I guess that's true." Kagome agreed, then they returned to silence. She relaxed back against the tree, and watched Rin and Shippo as they ran around.

"There is something I need to discuss with you."

"Okay," Kagome said, her eyes meeting Sesshomaru's briefly, before she could feel both Rin's and Shippo's aura move away from her extended one. "Hey, you two! Don't leave the clearing. Stay where I can see you!"

"Aw, but we want to go by the river." Shippo complained.

Smiling at how both Shippo and Rin gave her looks that replicated the modern day "puppy dog" expression, and Kagome sighed and stood up. Her eyes on Sesshomaru. "We can continue this conversation later," she said, not hesitating in turning and running past the kids down towards the river. "Let's go, but you two have to catch me."

Kagome's words fired up both children, as they started giggling and following her. Meanwhile, Sesshomaru's eyes were focused on the direction the miko had led the children. The laughter and voices had made him hum slightly.

**That night**

Kagome's eyes were focused upon the night sky, as her heart raced in her chest. She slipped out of the sleeping bag, and managed to do so without waking Shippo or Rin up. After restarting the fire, she got up and started walking away. Pulling her hair up and out of her face, she had her eyes focused on the ground, but found herself running into something. Her eyes lifted upward to meet golden ones, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "You scared me."

Sesshomaru remained looking at her in silence. "Do you do this every night?"

"Do what?" Kagome asked, finishing putting her hair up, and she took a couple of steps back to not be so close to him.

"Disappear for hours-"

"Shhh," Kagome interrupted him, her eyes wide as his obvious lack of using a whispered tone with the others asleep in the clearing not far away from them. "I wasn't disappearing. I was just going for a run to get some exercise. I will be back in an hour or two."

Sesshomaru said nothing, but kept his eyes focused down on her.

At his silence, she sighed and walked around him. She didn't get much further than maybe another twenty feet, before he was back in front of her.

"Do not walk away from me."

"I'm not a child, and I am not about to be told what I can and cannot do," Kagome replied, noticing how he held a frown on his face, and had an icy stare. "What more do you want from me? I told you what I was going to do. By the way, I have no obligation to do that. Just so we are clear."

Sesshomaru remained quiet. His golden eyes seemingly digging into her. "Does this happen every night?"

"Does what happen every-"

"Waking up in the middle of the night," Sesshomaru interrupted, his tone showing almost slight annoyance at her lack of understanding what he was asking in the first place.

Kagome's shoulders softened slightly. Her eyes looking away to the view of forest and the night sky from the small hill they were on top of. "Not always. When I'm with my friends or at home it doesn't happen too much."

Sesshomaru found a twinge of curiosity still lingering. "Did this happen while you were at my castle?"

"No it didn't," Kagome admitted right away, before she took a breath. "I was indoors and not as vulnerable as I would be out in the open… Honestly, sleeping in a bed kind of reminded me of home, and that was probably what really made me feel secure enough to sleep… When I'm out in the open with Shippo or I guess Rin too, I get nervous, because something could happen."

A sound was heard from over where the others were sleeping that had both Sesshomaru and Kagome's attention, but when nothing else happened, Sesshomaru's eyes slid back over to Kagome.

With his focus back on her, Kagome tried to wave off the tense air she created, and walked around him. "Anyway, it's not too big of a deal."

"Nothing shall happen to you with my ward present."

Almost stumbling over her own feet, Kagome stopped walking. She took that as his way of saying he'd protect her. Her shoulders relaxed slightly. "I guess that's true."

Sesshomaru turned around to see she was turned away from him. "You do not believe so. If you did, you wouldn't have woken me up with your distressed aura that you've been sending out every night."

"I didn't realize I was doing that… I'm sorry," Kagome apologized, then she quickly waved her hand. "Anyway, it won't be happening again. I'll be back with my friends tomorrow."

Sesshomaru remained silent, as his eyes remained locked onto hers.

"Anyway, I'm going to go now," Kagome said, after it seemed they were finally settled. However, she only made it a few feet more down the hill, when Sesshomaru reappeared in front of her. Her irritation flared up, as she propped her hands on her hips. "What now?"

The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth twitched, as he found himself feeling amused at her irritation. "We still need to discuss something."

That seemed to loosen up Kagome's stance, as she chuckled. "I guess the day just got away from me. Between Shippo and Rin, I feel like there was always something happening. Anyway, what do we need to talk about?"

"You'll be returning to you group tomorrow."

"Yeah. They are probably all worried, especially with Shippo being gone too," Kagome said, sitting down on the hill. "I'll probably visit with them for a day or two, then I'll go home for a couple of days."

Sesshomaru's eyes returned to the miko. "Is that not where you are headed now?"

"Yes, but my home is… Well..." Kagome trailed off, humming. Unsure as to how she should go about this. "It is kind of hard to explain. My home is in Kaede's village. It's just… In a different era of time. Which is the hard to explain part."

Her words left them in silence for a moment. Sesshomaru watching her intensely. "You'll return after a couple of days."

"Yeah, I'm sure my friends want to start traveling, and I don't want to hold them back much longer… Where are you going from here?" Kagome asked curiously. As expected, Sesshomaru was silent, but she didn't let it go. "I mean, you said you were traveling in the same direction as me, but you never said where you were going?"

Once again silence filled the air, however, Sesshomaru's eyes returned to her briefly, then he looked away. "I didn't say where I planned on going. It was intentional."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"That is part of what I wanted to discuss with you," Sesshomaru replied, sitting down a few feet away from her on the hill. "I want you to continue to train Rin."

"Really?" Kagome asked, taken aback as that was one of the last things she expected him to say. _I mean, I figured that at this point, he would be tired of dealing with me. _"I mean it's not that I wouldn't want to, but it won't be without complications. We don't see each other too often, and my group travels a lot… So does yours. Sure I guess we could find out some sort of schedule of me coming to meet with Rin and train her, but that will be difficult to manage with us traveling. There are all sorts of unpredictability. And-"

"I will make adjustments to make it work," Sesshomaru interrupted her rambling. "I will remain close by to allow Rin the opportunity to be trained by you."

Kagome was quiet, then she chuckled. "You don't have to do that. I know that you and Inuyasha still don't get along that much, and I wouldn't want to torture you."

Her humor had brought another twitch the corner of his mouth, which Sesshomaru had to force himself to remain with a stoic expression. "That is not a concern of mine."

Kagome chuckled and she propped her elbows on her knees. "It might be a concern of mine having to listen to Inuyasha complain everyday… I'm not the only priestess out there too. There are plenty of amazing priestesses around who can teach Rin. Kaede taught me, and I've learned from a few others here and there too. It would probably be less of annoyance for you to have to go all around the land so I could do it."

"I requested your assistance for this," Sesshomaru said, his eyes meeting hers finally. "I could find another priestess. However, you said it yourself that Rin's power reflects your own. That would ultimately benefit Rin."

"That's right I did say that. Hm… I don't know what it was really," Kagome paused, as a light burst of wind went by. "I was about to go back to my group, but it was like I got hit with this wave of refreshment. It felt like it was pulling me that way. Then I felt a much darker feeling and that's what led me to Rin in time."

"Yeah, but that's never happened to me before. It was so far away too. I don't know why it happened." Kagome replied, shrugging as her eyes left his to look up at the sky.

"My mind remains unchanged."

"Okay... I'll train Rin. Or at least, I'll try my best to train her. I just want her to get to a point where she can recognize her powers, and not let them get out of control..." Kagome trailed off into silence. They remained where they were for a few more minutes until the sound of bush leaves rustled behind them. She glanced back just as Shippo appeared, while rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"What time is it?"

"It's still night time. I just needed to get up and stretch my legs for a bit, but I'm ready to go back to sleep." Kagome replied to her kitsune quickly, as she stood up and scooped him up into her arms. She started walking back with Shippo, but paused at the treeline to glance back at Sesshomaru. His back was to her, and she knew his focus was elsewhere now. _I guess I'm training Rin. This is going to be interesting to explain to Inuyasha why his brother will be hanging around us for a while._

* * *

**A/N: In the next chapter we will finally reunite with Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku in Kaede's village. What was your favorite part of this chapter?**

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	5. Kaede's Village

_Review:_

"_Okay... I'll train Rin. Or at least, I'll try my best to train her. I just want her to get to a point where she can recognize her powers, and not let them get out of control..." Kagome trailed off into silence. They remained where they were for a few more minutes until the sound of bush leaves rustled behind them. She glanced back just as Shippo appeared, while rubbing his eyes sleepily._

"_What time is it?"_

"_It's still night time. I just needed to get up and stretch my legs for a bit, but I'm ready to go back to sleep." Kagome replied to her kitsune quickly, as she stood up and scooped him up into her arms. She started walking back with Shippo, but paused at the treeline to glance back at Sesshomaru. His back was to her, and she knew his focus was elsewhere now. I guess I'm training Rin. This is going to be interesting to explain to Inuyasha why his brother will be hanging around us for a while._

* * *

**The next morning**

"Shhh." Rin's voice hit Kagome's ears, as she was being pulled from her dream. Initially having awoken to the sound of giggling.

"We need to be quiet so we don't wake Kagome up." Shippo's voice was heard next.

"It's too late for that," Kagome mumbled, getting both of the children's attention. She finally opened her eyes to see Shippo was now seated on her abdomen, and Rin was right next to her. Both of their bright eyes focused on her. However, her own eyes slid upward to the bright blue sky above them. She had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness. _It has been a while since I woke up and it's light out…_

"Why were you still sleeping?" Rin asked, getting Kagome's attention.

"Kagome sleeps in all the time." Shippo said, an eyebrow raised at her.

Still feeling slightly disoriented, Kagome sat up after moving Shippo off her chest. She rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily. "Give me a few minutes to wake up okay?"

Both Rin and Shippo didn't have to be told twice, as they proceeded to run around by Ah-Un and Jaken. The latter of the two was quick to start squabbling at the children's loud voices and laughter.

"You went back to sleep."

Sesshomaru's voice got Kagome's attention, and she finally glanced over in his direction. "Apparently so," she said, standing up from the sleeping bag to stretch, before she started putting it away. "It was nice to have the extra sleep, but now I feel off not being sleep deprived."

The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth turned upward for a split second, but he was quick to return to his stoic expression. He remained silent as he watched Kagome collect her things, then she finally got up.

"Okay, are we ready to go?" Kagome asked in the direction of Rin and Shippo, but both children were busy running around and not listening to her. Finally, she whistled to get their attention, and it brought both children to a halt and to silence. She smiled and waved at them. "Hello, thank you for your attention. I was asking if we are ready to go."

"Yes, let's go!" Rin exclaimed, going straight to Ah-Un this morning instead of walking on her own.

Shippo had gone up to his usual place at Kagome's shoulder. "It's going to be nice being back home."

"What is it like there?" Rin asked curiously.

"Oh it's really nice. All the people are really friendly. Kaede teaches some of us kids a few things here and there. Oh and there is tons of forest around. Inuyasha's forest actually-" Shippo broke off at the mention of that, and his eyes went to Kagome. "Are you going back home once we get there?"

Sighing at first, Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not sure when exactly, but I would like to go home. I'll be in the area, and I haven't gone home in a while."

"For how long?" Shippo asked.

"Not too long," Kagome replied, reaching up to adjust Shippo on her shoulder. "I might go for a couple of days. Of course, I want to see our friends first too, because I have missed them as well."

"Good," Shippo said, then he giggled. "Although, I don't think Inuyasha is going to want to stay much longer than that. He's been itching to start traveling again."

Kagome smirked at the thought. "Well, Inuyasha is going to have to get over it, because I want to see my family."

**A couple of hours later**

They were just outside the borders of Kaede's village and Inuyasha's forest, when they came to a stop. Shippo being the first to acknowledge what made them stop. "Inuyasha's coming this way."

Kagome sighed and set Shippo down on Ah-Un next to Rin. Her arms crossed over her chest, as she looked in the direction she knew Inuyasha was coming from. _Oh boy..._

Inuyasha broke through the treeline, and right away focused on Sesshomaru. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Sesshomaru didn't lose his composure in the slightest as his golden eyes slid to his brother. "Inuyasha."

The one-worded reply seemed to agitate Inuyasha even more, as his hand went right to Tessaiga. Kagome's eyes widened, and she raised her hand up to stop him. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's eyes finally went to Kagome, and he pointed at her. "Where the hell have you been? You can't just up and disappear for over a week and not tell anyone where you are going."

Kagome, noticing the concern in his tone, sighed and offered him a smile. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long. Just a couple of days."

"Yeah well, why you were off wandering around, we were all w-"

"Wandering around?!" Kagome interrupted, her smile gone and her eyes narrowing at him. "Do you honestly think I would just disappear for over a week and not tell you all where I was going on purpose?"

"Well, you did didn't you?" Inuyasha countered, his eyes narrowed like hers.

Kagome threw her hands up in frustration, and she started walking down the path to Kaede's village. "If you would stop trying to pick a fight with me, then I would happily tell you where I have been."

Inuyasha didn't hesitate in turning around to walk after her. "Where are you going? We're not done here!"

"Do you even hear me when I talk to you?!" Kagome yelled back at him.

The bickering continued on, as Sango and Miroku appeared in the clearing. Sango smiling in the direction of where Kagome and Inuyasha had gone. "Oh look, Kagome's back."

Miroku deadpanned at the yelling that was going on. "And they're already arguing again."

"That's not surprising," Sango said, her eyes going to the others, and landing on Shippo. "There you are Shippo. We were worried when you disappeared a couple of days ago."

Shippo jumped right off of Ah-Un, and hopped up into Sango's arms. Giving her a similar affectionate greeting that he would give Kagome. "I went to find Kagome since Inuyasha wasn't going to."

Miroku smirked at that. "Well, that last argument those two had was certainly explosive enough… And you know that Inuyasha's ability to be incredibly stubborn tends to play into everything."

"What was it about this time?" Shippo asked.

Sango hummed, as she and Miroku shared a look. "I'm not sure. It could have been a few things, but there was quite a lot of screaming from them."

"And death threats." Miroku added, with a chuckle.

Laughing along with Shippo, Sango's eyes finally slid over to the direction of the others in the clearing, then back to Shippo. "What exactly is going on? Where has Kagome been?"

"A lot has happened," Shippo said, proceeding to cross his arms and huff. "But I don't know all the details, because Kagome didn't tell me everything."

"I'll be sure to ask her," Sango said, pausing as they could all still pick up on Kagome and Inuyasha's distant voices yelling at each other. "I think I'll be waiting until after they finish yelling at each other."

"Sit!"

Kagome's loud exclamation was heard, shortly followed with a loud crashing sound. It was silent at first, then Miroku cleared his throat. "I believe Kagome has just ended the argument."

Shippo laughed, as he was in the process of petting Kilala. "Inuyasha deserved it. Let's go home."

As they started walking in the direction of Kaede's village, Sango's eyes were focused on Rin. There were several flowers all around the saddle on Ah-Un's back. "That is a lot of flowers."

"I couldn't decide which ones to keep." Rin explained, her hand brushing against some of the pink and white flowers.

Sango chuckled and smiled warmly at Rin. "Well, I think they are beautiful."

Once in Kaede's village, they arrived just in time to Kohaku finishing up chopping firewood. His eyes on Rin first. "Rin?"

"Kohaku!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully, as she jumped down from Ah-Un.

Miroku's eyes scanned the area to see Inuyasha was up in his usual tree. "Well, Inuyasha is still alive."

"Kagome went easy on him." Sango said with a chuckle.

As if she heard her name, Kagome walked out of Kaede's hut with her. Kaede's hands behind her back, as she was looking at Kagome. "Your injuries have healed up nicely, but you seem rather tense child."

Kagome deadpanned. "That's because of Inuyasha."

"Injuries?" Sango questioned, her eyebrow raised in Kagome's direction.

Kagome, however, waited until everyone was much closer. "It's a long story, but it leads to explaining why I didn't come home alone."

**A half-hour later**

Sesshomaru's golden eyes glanced over to where he heard conversation pick up between the demon slayer and the miko.

"Wow Kagome, leave it to you to get yourself near deathly injured within not even two days of being gone."

Kagome laughed. "I have a gift apparently."

"What do you think about the demons that attacked you?" Miroku asked, getting involved in the conversation.

"I'm not sure," Kagome shrugged and crossed her arms. "They were attracted to the priestess spiritual power, and it seems some else is in charge."

Miroku hummed in thought. "I guess we'll be keeping a lookout for them. I'm sure we'll cross paths again."

"How were you able to sense them from so far away?" Sango asked.

Kagome's eyes lingered on Rin from where she was running around with Kohaku, Shippo, and Kilala. "I don't think it was what initially got my attention… On another note, we'll be needing to make adjustments so I can train Rin as we travel."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Miroku said, his eyes glancing in the direction of where Inuyasha was. "Someone should probably tell Inuyasha about all of this."

Kagome noticeably gained an irritated look on her face, as she stood up from where she was sitting. "Someone else can go tell him once he stops sulking."

Sango jumped up and hurried to go join Kagome to continue chatting with her.

Miroku sighed at the two women walking away. "Why does it seem like they always leave me with that task?"

Sesshomaru's eyes slid back over to the older priestess that Kagome referred to as Kaede. She, meanwhile, had her eye focused on Rin, but her body language hinted to her attention on Sesshomaru. "That little girl has a lot of potential. You can see it in her face. She has fire. The same fire I see in Kagome… It was wise to choose Kagome to be her teacher. It might be as good for Kagome as it is for the girl."

Without waiting for response, the elder priestess had gone on her way. His attention went back to Rin, who was busy chatting with the miko and the demon slayer. Continuing his observation of the area, he found his eyes taking in a village that he hadn't been around in hundreds of years, and finally they landed on Inuyasha. The half-demon was in mid-argument with the monk, likely about Sesshomaru traveling with them. Although it didn't concern Sesshomaru, as his eyes returned back to focus back on the miko. _She seems to be the leader of this group, and the others follow her decisions._

**A couple of hours later**

Kagome hung up the last of her clothes that she had washed in the creek outside of her hut, before she finally walked inside her hut. She laid out her futon, and sat down. Already feeling relaxed at being back in her space. The strong sense of Inuyasha caught her attention, and she glanced over to find he was in the doorway. He was looking away from her, with his arms crossed, and not saying anything. Laying back on her futon, she closed her eyes, and hummed a little song. When he still hadn't said anything to her, she opened her eyes again to find he was now beside her futon, but still not look at her. "Can I help you?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a long moment, his eyes remaining on the wall. "I'm sorry for yelling at you… Both times."

Smiling at his apology, Kagome sat up and propped herself up with her hands. "I'm sorry I yelled at you both times."

Her apology got him to finally look at her, but it was with a raised eyebrow. "And?"

"And what?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side.

Inuyasha's eye twitched and he scowled. "For when you sat me to my near-death the first time and then earlier today.

"Oh yeah," Kagome hummed and tapped her chin. Noticing that made his eyes widened, she smiled and waved it off. "Sorry about that too, I guess."

"You guess?" Inuyasha deadpanned.

Kagome laughed, although she settled with a concerned look. "Do you want to talk about Sesshomaru?"

"Why would I want to talk about him?" Inuyasha countered, as he finally sat down beside her.

"He's going to be traveling with us for a little while." Kagome remind, noticing how that made Inuyasha scowl.

"How did he manage to convince you to agree to that?"

"I was skeptical at first," Kagome replied, a smirk growing on her face. "I wouldn't subject him to have to spend any more time with you than necessary."

"Hey!"

Kagome laughed and Inuyasha finally joined her after a moment. "More seriously, I wasn't sure about it at first. With us traveling as much as we do, it seemed like it would be difficult for me to go to Rin to train her, and this seemed like it would work better for everyone."

Inuyasha sighed heavily, and his frown remained on his face. "I'm still not too sure about the idea of having Sesshomaru around."

"Maybe this is exactly what you two need to reconnect," Kagome offered, laughing at how Inuyasha deadpanned. "Okay, maybe you two should try to avoid each other at all costs."

"That's about right… When are you going home?" Inuyasha asked, shrugging when she raised an eyebrow. "I assumed you would want to. Shippo mentioned something about it too."

"Tomorrow morning is the plan."

"When are you coming back?"

"I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll stay the night with them, or a couple of nights. I haven't decided yet."

Inuyasha seemed to accept that with a simple nod. "Whenever you come back, we were thinking about traveling up North for a little while."

"We haven't been that way in a while," Kagome said, laying back down on her futon, as she yawned. "It should be an interesting trip."

"Yeah..." Inuyasha trailed off, then he stood up. "Kaede is making her vegetable stew again. I'm going to go hunt down some meat to go with it."

Kagome laughed. "Her vegetable stew is good on its own."

"The meat is better." Inuyasha insisted, a smirk on his face as he left her hut.

Kagome chuckled before settling with a smile on her face. _Maybe I could take a quick nap before dinner. I'm kind of exhausted still from having not slept too well the past few days._

**Later that evening**

"Rin, come with me."

The miko's words caught Sesshomaru's attention, and his eyes left the sky to see the miko was holding her hand out for Rin to take. His young ward didn't hesitate in standing up and accepting the miko's hand.

"Okay," Rin said, her head tilted upward to look at Kagome. "Where are we going?"

"To one of my favorite places." Kagome replied, as they started to walk into the forest.

As soon as Rin was out of sight, Sesshomaru stood gracefully, and followed at distance into the forest. When it appeared that the miko and Rin were stopping in a small clearing, Sesshomaru jumped up into a tree to settle on a branch. His eyes finding the miko's hand on a tree with many roots around its base. A crack in the tree where it appeared to have been struck with some sort of weapon.

"Why are you smiling at the tree?" Rin asked Kagome.

At the young girl pointing it out, Kagome let her hand fall away from the crack in the tree. "It was just over three years ago that I met Inuyasha here."

Rin tilted her head to the side, and pointed to the tree. "At this tree?"

"Technically on the tree- Which sounds strange, but it's kind of a long story," Kagome said, chuckling as she could just picture the moment she first saw Inuyasha pinned to this tree. "Even before I met Inuyasha, this tree was my favorite when I'm at home."

"I thought your home was back in the village?" Rin asked, still clearly confused.

Patting Rin on the head, Kagome chuckled. "Don't worry. One day, I'll show you what I mean… So do you want to work on your powers?"

"We can make flowers?" Rin asked, a hopeful look growing in her eyes.

"Maybe in a little while. There are a couple of other things I want to work on first, okay?" Kagome asked, one Rin nodded, she and Rin sat on the grass, and started work on

Back in the trees, Sesshomaru watched Kagome patiently work with Rin to get her to try and understand her powers. It didn't take long before he felt Kagome's aura brush up against his own. His eyebrow raised at how Kagome had obviously realized he was there, but had remained quiet about it. He raised an eyebrow at how Rin had gotten distracted when a gust of wind blew a few leaves past them. _Perhaps it is more to keep Rin from getting distracted even more than she already does._

Inuyasha showing up caught Sesshomaru's attention, as he appeared on a tree branch a few trees away from the one Sesshomaru was on. Glancing in Inuyasha's direction, Sesshomaru could tell Inuyasha was there to watch as well. His eyes returned back to where Kagome was training Rin, and he found that once he looked away, Inuyasha's eyes were on him. He allowed that for a few minutes, until he finally found growing irritation at the glaring Inuyasha was doing. "It would be in your best interest to keep your eyes away from my direction, or I will remove them from your head."

"I'm not staring at you!" Inuyasha shot back, humming irritably, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why are you here?"

"To keep an eye on Kagome!" Inuyasha shot back, his eyes narrowing. "She's a danger magnet if you couldn't already tell."

Sesshomaru's eyes had left his brother to see a slight twitch of irritation cross Kagome's face. Without looking away, he addressed his brother. "You don't need to be here. I am here."

At the implication Sesshomaru was making, Inuyasha's irritation grew, as he pointed angrily at Sesshomaru. "That doesn't matter! Kagome's my friend, and if anyone is going to look out for her, it is going to be me! Why are you even here?! Don't you have better things to be doing-"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rang out, interrupting Inuyasha's, and getting him to look at her. Her eyes were open and right on Inuyasha. She couldn't actually see him through the tree's shadows, but she knew exactly where he was. "Do you think we went away from where everyone else was so we could listen to you yelling?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, as he leaned forward. "Don't say it-"

"Sit boy!"

Kagome's voice rang out, the necklace around Inuyasha's necklace started to glow, then he was dragged down to the hit the ground harshly. Grunting in pain, Inuyasha pushed himself to sit up and he cringed at first seeing how intensely Kagome was glaring at him. However, his expression soon switched to a glare. "What the hell?"

"If you're going to remain in the area, you need to keep quiet!" Kagome snapped back at him, an eyebrow raised as if she was daring him to say anything else.

After glaring at her in silence for a moment, Inuyasha grumbled as he jumped back up on the branch in the tree. His eyes picked up the sight of a slight smirk on Sesshomaru's face. "What are you smirki-"

"Inuyasha."

Kagome's warning sounding toned voice interrupted Inuyasha. He hummed irritably and crossed his arms. Tearing his eyes away from Sesshomaru, he spent the next fifteen minutes glaring angrily at the sky. However, his eyes found their way back to Kagome and Rin eventually.

Once they hit the almost forty-five-minute mark of Rin's training session, Kagome finally smiled at Rin, as she clapped her hands together. "Alright, I think that is enough training for the day. You can make flowers if you want."

"Yay!" Rin exclaimed happily at the permission, as she jumped up. It took a few minutes of focus, but pink flowers finally appeared on the grass around her.

As Rin's giggling got the attention of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, it was Inuyasha who leaned forward with interest. "I thought only Kagome could do that."

Although Sesshomaru didn't acknowledge Inuyasha's words out loud, he found himself looking between Rin and Kagome. _I have not intentionally spent time around many priestesses over my lifetime, but I do not believe I've noticed that kind of power coming from any of them either._

After letting Rin run around and create her flowers for a while, Kagome finally stood up once the sunset was almost at its end. "Rin, that is enough for today. We should be heading back before it gets completely dark out here."

"Oh okay." Rin said, cheerfully skipping over to walk alongside Kagome in the direction of the village.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha joined them silently at first, but Inuyasha was quick to move to the side of Kagome that Rin wasn't on. "I thought you were the only one who could do that stuff with the flowers Kagome."

"Apparently not." Kagome said, giving a smile to Rin.

"You know," Inuyasha started with a hum. "How odd is it that you find the one person who's just as strange as you are?"

"Inuyasha." Kagome's tone took one of warning, as a vein throbbed in her forehead.

The sudden anger that came from Kagome had Inuyasha's ears go back, as he waved his hands. "I didn't mean it as a bad thing," he said, however, he soon took a more defensive stance as he scowled and crossed his arms. "Don't go twisting my words around."

"Well, don't start digging yourself into a hole then!" Kagome snapped back.

Inuyasha took on a look of confusion now. "What does that mean?"

"It's an expression- You know what? Never mind." Kagome said, sighing heavily, as she rubbed her temples. When they arrived back to Kaede's village, they took a brief pause as Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"I'm going to my hut," Inuyasha said, before he pointed to Kagome. "I'll see you in the morning. Don't leave too early."

"I won't," Kagome said, smiling as Inuyasha turned to leave. "Goodnight, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha mumbled something that sounded like a goodnight back, before he picked up his pace to go to his own hut.

Waiting until after Inuyasha went inside his hut, Kagome glanced up at the dark sky above them. "You are welcome to stay in my hut with Shippo and I. There is a lot of room."

Rin hesitated, her eyes on Sesshomaru for approval. Just barely waiting until Sesshomaru gave a single nod, Rin jumped up and down. "Okay!"

Kagome's eyes went back to the forest around them. "Where are Jaken and Ah-Un?"

"Jaken and Ah-Un get to go on fun adventures all the time." Rin replied cheerfully.

At Kagome's raised eyebrow, Sesshomaru's eyes focused on the skyline where the sun had just gone down. "Jaken and Ah-Un will be summoned if they are needed."

"Oh okay," Kagome said before they walked into her hut. Shippo was already asleep on his usual futon, and she laid out one for Rin. "You are welcome to use this futon Rin."

"Thank you." Rin said, slipping off her shoes before she would lay down.

Kagome laid down another futon as well, and smiled at Sesshomaru, who had already seemed to be comfortable sitting down against the wall of her hut. "You can use this one if you want." Unsurprising to her, Sesshomaru didn't move from where he was, and she just went back to her usual nighttime routine.

It was quiet as Rin slowly joined Shippo in sleeping, and Sesshomaru watched as Kagome had begun to write over on her own futon after stoking the fire one last time. "Why does Inuyasha sleep separately?"

"Oh well, when we were collecting the jewel shards, we all stayed in Kaede's hut when we were in the village. Mostly because we weren't here that often," Kagome said, a smile on her face as she reflected on the hunt for jewel shards. It felt like it was just yesterday, when in reality they hadn't had to deal with the shards or Naraku in a long time. "After Naraku was defeated, some of the villagers here were kind enough to help us build our own huts here so we'd have a more permanent place to stay. Sango and Miroku have their hut. Inuyasha has his, and I have mine with Shippo. Kohaku had been staying in Kaede's hut, as he's been having his lessons with Kaede. Those usually start pretty early in the morning… Even though we're not all huddled together under one roof anymore, it's nice to have them so close by."

Finally finishing up her usual end of day tasks, Kagome settled onto her futon and glanced one last time at Sesshomaru. "I'm going to get some sleep. I'm going to have a lot to do tomorrow morning."

As Kagome settled into sleep, Sesshomaru's eyes remained focused on the fire for a long time. Reflecting on what they conversed on, and he found himself having to fight to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting upward. The realization hit him that he was beginning to find enjoyment in the few exchanges of words between himself and the miko. She spoke with refreshing honesty, and he realized she was intriguing to him.

**The next morning**

Opening her eyes, Kagome could tell from the light coming in from the doorway that she had slept through the night. Rolling over so she was on her stomach, she smiled at the sight of Shippo and Rin still asleep on their futons.

"You were correct."

The sound of Sesshomaru's voice made Kagome jump slightly, as for a moment, she forgot that he was there too. Her eyes met golden ones, and she raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Your aura does not show any distress here."

"Oh yeah," Kagome said, a smile returning to her face. "Being so close to home helps me sleep… Speaking of sleep, you always seem to be awake in the middle of the night. Do you ever sleep?"

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment, but finally gave her a single nod. "I do. Not as much when I travel with Rin."

_That's interesting. I guess she's really his soft spot. _Kagome thought, before she sat up and stretched.

"You're leaving this morning."

"Yes, I will wait for the others to wake up and say goodbye," Kagome said, the thought of seeing her family filled her with excitement. "I'm going to go home for a day or two."

"To your era?"

"Yeah," Kagome said with a laugh. "It is about as crazy as it sounds. I was born five hundred years in the future… Well, I guess it's actually less than that now, since it has been three years since I first came to this era. And as I say it, I think it's more crazy sounding."

Sesshomaru was silent as he fought the urge to smirk. "You are correct."

"What?" Kagome asked, a grin appearing on her face. "That it sounds crazy?"

Sesshomaru gave a simple nod, and the corner of his mouth upturned briefly.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something else, but the sound of Inuyasha's loud voice from outside gone her attention. Scowling she stood up quickly to stalk outside. "Does he not know that people are still sleeping?"

**An hour later**

"Have fun visiting your family." Sango said, as they finally reached the well.

"I will," Kagome said, turning around once at the well to look at the others. "I should be back the day after tomorrow. So Inuyasha! That means you better not come and try to make me come home any sooner than that!"

Inuyasha scowled from where he was perched up in a nearby tree, his back to them. "No chance of that."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha's irritation. "What's he so mad about?"

Miroku sweatdropped, and leaned over to Sango. "She's already forgotten."

"Doesn't surprise me," Sango whispered back, then she waved to get Kagome's attention. "You sat him into the river this morning."

"Oh yeah..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes going in Inuyasha's direction. His arms were crossed, and his back was to her. "Sorry for this morning Inuyasha, but you kind of deserved it for being so loud this morning when other people were still asleep!"

Inuyasha turned his head back to look at her. "I'm not angry about that!"

"Sure you're not!" Kagome called back, laughing as the others started walking away, and she knelt down to get on Rin's level. "I'm going to be back in a couple of days, and we are going to start your training."

"We can make more flowers?" Rin asked hopefully.

"Yes, we can make more flowers," Kagome said with a chuckle, before she turned in time to accept a big hug from Shippo. "Shippo, I'll only be gone a couple of days. Maybe you can come with me next time when I plan on staying for a bit longer."

"Okay." Shippo agreed holding onto her for one last moment, before he hopped down to join the others in heading back to the village.

Rin stayed behind, as her head tilted to the side. Watching Kagome and the well with curiosity.

Noticing Rin wasn't moving, Kagome knelt down and created a single white flower for her. "I'll be back before you know it. Now go catch up with the others."

"Okay." Rin agreed, accepting the white flower, which she smelled for a long moment, then she finally turned to go.

Waiting until Rin was gone from the clearing, Kagome turned back to the well and jumped down. With a flash of light, she was gone to her era.

Meanwhile, watchful golden eyes had observed the event. His eyes curiously watched Kagome stand on the edge of the well, before jumping in. He saw the flash of light, then her scent and aura disappeared. It was like she was never there. _Interesting._

* * *

**A/N: Kagome has finally reunited with her friends, and Inuyasha seems to be taking the fact that his brother will be around for a while about as well as anyone could expect. What was your favorite part of the chapter?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

**Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**


	6. Starting Our Travels

_Review:_

"_Okay." Rin agreed, accepting the white flower, which she smelled for a long moment, then she finally turned to go._

_Waiting until Rin was gone from the clearing, Kagome turned back to the well and jumped down. With a flash of light, she was gone to her era._

_Meanwhile, watchful golden eyes had observed the event. His eyes curiously watched Kagome stand on the edge of the well, before jumping in. He saw the flash of light, then her scent and aura disappeared. It was like she was never there. Interesting._

* * *

**A couple of days later**

Sesshomaru's eyes landed on Rin as she followed the kitsune in the direction of what the kitsune said was the older priestess' hut. He had found that Rin had easily got comfortable with being here. While some of the villagers were still skeptical, it was the miko's group that seemed to fully accept their presence here. The thought of the miko had his eyes glide to the forest in the direction of where he had watched her jump down a well and disappear a couple of days ago.

"Kagome's supposed to be back by now." Miroku said, getting Sesshomaru's attention once again.

"I wonder what is holding Kagome up," Sango said, her eyes glancing in the direction of the forest where the well was. "She usually comes back pretty early in the morning."

"I'm not going to get her!" Inuyasha finally snapped irritably.

Miroko shared a look with Sango, before his eyes returned to Inuyasha. "No one said that you should."

"You're fidgeting." Sango pointed out.

"I am not!" Inuyasha exclaimed, turning so his back was facing them, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Fighting the urge to smirk at Inuyasha's behavior, Sesshomaru silently left the area. Moving effortlessly through the trees, he landed on a branch just on the edge of a large open clearing. His golden eyes landing on a small well that was centered in the clearing. Reflecting on the conversation he held with the miko a couple of days ago, she would have returned yesterday or today.

A burst of light coming from the well caught his attention, before the scent of the miko hit his nose. A moment later a bag was thrown out of the well, then another bag followed. Finally, the miko climbed out of the well, and she stopped after she was finally out on the grass. She held a refreshed air about her, and a smile as she took in the area around her. She had only made it a few steps in the direction of the village, before she stopped. Her eyes sliding over to land right on him. "Are you coming or not?"

Sesshomaru loosened his stoic expression at how he had been distracted by her coming out of the well, and he hadn't noticed her aura stretching out to reach his. Letting go of his own aura, it expanded, slightly overpowering hers, before he effortlessly moved to a few feet away from her. Without saying anything, they both started walking towards the village. After a moment, his eyes slid over to her, and found she had her eyes closed. A small smile on her face, as she hummed quietly. "You have a system."

Kagome opened her eyes to look his way. "Yeah, I've done this so many times. I guess I developed something along the way… I meant to be back sooner today, but my mother made breakfast and it was just too good to pass up."

"It was brought up that Inuyasha could have come to retrieve if you were too late coming back. He can travel to your time as well?" Sesshomaru asked without skipping a beat.

"The subjugation necklace he wears connects him to me," Kagome explained, her own hand resting lightly on her neck, as a smile appeared on her face. "While it was originally put on him in order to keep him behaved, we soon figured out that it allows him to travel through the well too."

"You told the kitsune he could come with you next time."

"Oh yeah," Kagome said, hesitating at the thought. "For the first couple of years, it was only Inuyasha and me who could go through the well. Then this past year… Something changed. I don't know if it has to do with my powers growing or not, but I started to be able to take people with me. I still don't know why, but at least my friends can come with me sometimes."

Sesshomaru remained silent this time, and his eyes slid back forward. _Is it the same with Inuyasha?_

"Inuyasha can take people as well," Kagome said, as if reading Sesshomaru's mind. "He has the ability with my subjugation necklace, so naturally he started to be able to take people through when I did… I think my family can go through the well too. Although, I haven't tried it. I haven't even brought it up to them."

That got Sesshomaru's attention again, but he didn't speak.

"As much as I want to share this world with them, I don't want to expose them to the dangers of being here. It's a lot different where I am from, and I'd rather be safe than sorry," Kagome said before they finally arrived in the village. Her smile returned to her face at the sight of Shippo and Rin playing. "Hey everyone."

Shippo was the first to jump up and down, and run right over to her. He bounded up into her arms, and nuzzled his face into her neck. "Mama."

"Shippo," Kagome said, filling with happiness at his affection. Her free hand moved down to stroke Rin's hair back when she had approached as well. "Looks like someone has been brushing your hair."

That brought a toothy grin to Rin's house. "Sango helped me."

Once Kagome was finally closer to them, Sango smiled. "We were starting to worry about you."

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized, a smile growing on her face. "My mom made breakfast, and I couldn't help myself but eat some."

"It's nice to have you back, Kagome." Miroko said, giving a simple nod of his head.

Kagome glanced around them, before finally stopping on where Inuyasha was sitting in the distance. His back to them. "Inuyasha! Are you still mad at me?!"

The only response she got from him was a more than obvious crossing of his arms, and what sounded like grumbling under his breath.

"Well, I hope you will forgive me soon, or I can't give you your present," Kagome said with a smile. Noticing how that got his ears to perk up, she sighed and knelt down by her bag. "Oh well-"

"I'm over it." Inuyasha interrupted her, appearing by her side.

"Great," Kagome said, handing over a bag of potato chips, before pulling something bigger out of her bag. "I know you like to sleep outside from time to time, and I thought you might like this hammock."

Inuyasha tilted his head to the side. "I don't know what that is."

Kagome stood up and walked over to tie the hammock up on two trees. She motioned for Inuyasha to come over, and she pat the hammock. "Now you sit on it."

Hesitating for a moment to give the hammock a closer inspection, Inuyasha finally sat in it, and it didn't take long for him to kick his legs up into it and lay back. "Hey, this is pretty cool. Thanks Kagome."

Smiling at how Inuyasha opened his bag of chips and relaxed easily. She walked back over to the others, and clasped her hands together. "I was thinking we can leave after lunch."

"In that case," Miroku said, standing up to stretch. "I might go get some more rest."

"I think I might enjoy a little bit more sleep as well." Sango stood up to walk with Miroku.

At everyone going their separate ways, Kagome started in the direction of her own hut. Her eyes falling down to see Rin walking alongside her.

"Look Kagome," Rin said, pulling a slightly wilted white flower from her kimono. "I kept your flower."

"Looks like it could use a little power." Kagome said, raising a hand to the flower to return it to it's original fresh and perky state. That seemed to make Rin extra happy, as she giggled and smelled the flower. _She's a breath of fresh air. I'm looking forward to traveling with her for a little while._

**After lunch**

When they were almost finished packing, Sango pulled Kagome aside. "Will you take a walk with me? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, but we really should get going- whoa!" Kagome exclaimed, as Sango practically started dragging her away. Another few minutes of walking later, Sango finally stopped. "Okay Sango. What's going on?"

"Okay," Sango started, a grin growing on her face, as she seemed to explode with happiness. "I'm pregnant."

Shock was the first thing that crossed Kagome's features, soon to be followed with the loudest scream out of pure excitement. She soon laughed and hugged Sango. "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you! How far along are you?"

"I am almost positive that I am nine and a half weeks along-" Sango broke off and hummed. "Actually, I am probably almost ten weeks."

"Are you sure? Wouldn't have you known before now?"

"Honestly… I found out about three weeks ago."

"What?!" Kagome exclaimed, her hands going to her cheeks. "And you didn't tell me?!"

Sango laughed at how Kagome's expression was mixed between excitement, shock, and now a little bit of irritation. "I was going to tell you right away Kagome, but I wasn't fully sure at first. Then it wasn't for another few days later that I was really able to be sure. It was the combination of the symptoms I was having, and the days adding upright. And might I remind you that almost two weeks ago that you up and left after your argument with Inuyasha. And I was going to tell you, but you left so I kind of couldn't. I haven't even told anyone else apart from obviously Miroku and Kohaku."

"Okay..." Kagome trailed off, then her smile finally returned to her face. "I'm so happy for you Sango. I know you two wanted kids even before you got married, and I honestly thought it would happen right away."

Sango shrugged, then clasped her hands together. "We wanted to have kids right away at first. However, after we got married last year, we wanted to spend some time traveling. We didn't expect to be over a year later that we actually get around to getting pregnant, but it's happening."

"So do you have any symptoms?"

"Nausea for sure," Sango said, although she laughed. "It's mellowed down a bit now, and it seems to be just triggered by smells of certain food. Before it was like I was nauseous all day, every day for weeks."

"Ah," Kagome said, tapping her chin while humming. "Will you still be able to travel with us?"

"I have plans to keep traveling up until I'm about six months," Sango said, laughing at Kagome's raised eyebrow. "I know that may seem strange, but just think about it. Once I have the baby, my life is going to change, and I may not be able to travel as much."

Kagome thought about it for a minute. "Even if it's the middle of Winter? If you're right about how far along you are, then it'll be halfway through Winter when your six months."

"I might stop earlier, but let's be honest. I'm not one for sitting still too long Kagome." Sango said, with a wave of her hand and a laugh.

"I know, but I highly doubt you are going to want to keep up with the pace Inuyasha will want to go at when you're six months pregnant," Kagome said, chuckling and motioning to herself. "Even I don't want to keep up with his pace that time of year, and I'm not even pregnant."

Sango laughed at first, before she settled to smirking. "Well, if anything, you just handle him like you always do, and we'll be going at whatever pace you want."

"True," Kagome agreed, a little bit of wind passed by them, and she hummed. "If anything, when it comes down to it, we will try to pick paths that will allow us to stay in a village very night to keep you extra warm. Oh! And mom will be so thrilled to hear this! She loves to knit, and would probably die at the opportunity to finally knit some baby clothes and blankets."

"I would really appreciate it," Sango said, her smile shrunk a little, but her eyes still held happiness. "It's kind of weird thinking about how in just six more months; I'm going to have a baby. Miroku and I both are excited about it of course, but it's going to be a big life change. I'm kind of nervous."

Kagome offered Sango a smile and a hug. "It's okay to be nervous, but if anyone could handle being a mother you could. You're going to be amazing."

"I appreciate that Kagome. I really do." Sango said, accepting the hug, and smiling as Kilala tried to squeeze her way in the middle of them for some love to.

**Ten minutes later**

Kagome, Sango, and Kilala returned back from the forest. Before they could say anything, Inuyasha stopped his conversation with one of the younger woman in the village to run over to them. "Finally! What was with all the screaming?"

"Oh, that was me." Kagome said, raising her hand, before accepting Shippo to perch up on her shoulder.

Inuyasha deadpanned. "Obviously. That's why I could tell it was your obnoxious, happy scream and not your 'I'm about to die' scream."

"My happy scream is not obnoxious." Kagome shot back, rolling her eyes with irritation.

"Yeah it is-"

"Stop," Sango interrupted Inuyasha, before he could say something that would inevitably end with Kagome and Inuyasha screaming at each other for another twenty minutes. "Before you two get in an argument that will ruin the first part of our travels, let's just stop here and move on."

Inuyasha scowls at how Kagome and Sango were sharing looks and laughing. "What's with the stupid looks on your faces?"

"Inuyasha." Both Kagome and Sango warned, leading to his ears going back at their intense anger.

Sango was the first to loosen up, and she smiled after sharing a look with Miroku. "Okay, I guess I should probably make sure everyone knows before we start traveling. But I'm pregnant."

"Really? That's amazing!" Rin gushed, and Shippo said a simple, "Cool."

Inuyasha's look of irritation remained. "Well, I could have told you that. Can we leave now?"

Sango's eyes darkened with her glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"

At the intensity of Sango's glare, Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head. "Never mind, congratulations Sango. Let's go."

Kagome chuckled at Inuyasha already starting ahead of them to distance himself from Sango. She looped her arm through Sango's. "This is going to be so much fun."

**A couple of hours later**

"Oh my god," Inuyasha started, his tone showing annoyance. "Can we talk about something else besides the baby for a change?"

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "If it's so much of an annoyance to you, then maybe you should find something else to do for the next six and a half months."

Inuyasha scowled at her tone. "All I'm saying is that maybe we can change the subject every once in a while."

After sharing a look with Sango, Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. "Who was the woman you were talking to back at Kaede's village?"

Stumbling a little in his steps, Inuyasha was quick to turn his face away from them. "It was no one!"

"Why are you getting so flustered then?" Kagome countered, smirking now.

"I'm not!" Inuyasha exclaimed, his eyes widening at the smirk on Kagome's face. "Stop looking at me like that!"

"I'm not looking at you any certain way-"

"Yes you are!" Inuyasha practically shouted, before he hurried to go ahead of them.

Kagome laughed along with the others. "I'm going to have to pay for that one."

"That's for sure." Miroku agreed, a smirk on his face.

**A few hours later**

They had taken pause at Miroku's mention of them running into a problem. "It looks like it could rain. I don't believe it is wise for us to continue with it being so close to the end of daylight. We might end up stuck out in the rain."

"There is a cave up there in the mountains that can keep us dry." Inuyasha pointed out.

"We should get there in time if we pick up the pace." Miroku said, going to Kilala, who had transformed.

Letting Shippo go so he could go with Miroku and Sango, Kagome turned in time to see Inuyasha in front of her now. His back to her. She smiled as she got on his back. As they started traveling, she laughed a little. "Inuyasha, I was just poking fun earlier."

"It was not fun for me." Inuyasha replied, grumbling under his breath.

"Well, it's not fun for Sango when you show absolutely no interest in her pregnancy," Kagome said, glancing back at the others who were traveling behind them, just out of earshot. "She's really excited about Inuyasha, and I'm happy for her. Of course we're going to talk about it."

"It's not that," Inuyasha finally said after a moment of silence. "She's been pregnant for what? Ten weeks. Why is everyone acting like it's new?"

Kagome chuckled. "Inuyasha, she only found out a few weeks ago, and she didn't tell anyone apart from Miroku and Kohaku for a while. She told the rest of us today."

"Just three weeks?"

Frowning at Inuyasha's question, Kagome focused on him. "Why do you say it like that?"

"No reason."

At Inuyasha's short reply, Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you knew she was pregnant before she told us. How?"

"I just thought she was that's all," Inuyasha said, noticing that didn't seem to lessen Kagome's look. "It's not a big deal just because I happened to be right."

Kagome was quiet for a moment. "You're not being fully honest with me."

"I'm not lying though." Inuyasha pointed out.

"Alright, Inuyasha. I'll leave it alone for now." Kagome said, laughing and holding on a bit tighter, as Inuyasha started going up an incline.

**A half-hour later**

Sesshomaru landed near the cave after having spent most of the last half hour at the top of the highest point of the cliffs above them. His eyes on Inuyasha and Kagome who had arrived last.

"We got some firewood." Kagome said cheerfully.

Inuyasha set the firewood they collected in the cave. "We will probably need more, and I'll go get some. I'll also get us something for dinner too."

"I'll go with you," Miroku said, appearing from inside the cave, and motioning to Kagome. "I've already prepared an area for the fire."

"And I am going to go figure out where Shippo and Rin went off to, before they go get themselves lost." Sango added, having already started her way out of the cave.

After waiting until the others were gone from the cave, Sesshomaru's eyes landed on Kagome. "Where are you planning to go from here?"

"The plan is to go up North. The others had been thinking about it, while I was gone that week I was with you after getting myself injured," Kagome said, setting the firewood into the pit that Miroku made. "I've heard rumors of some demons causing trouble up North, and we want to go check everything out. I think Inuyasha has been having withdrawals from not using his tessaiga."

Sesshomaru gave a small nod. "You have a certain effect on Inuyasha."

"Really?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru said, nodding again. "He has the ability to forgive and compromise now. He would have not been capable of that a few years ago."

"Well, I don't know if that is an effect on Inuyasha, so much as we fight so often that we're used to fighting and forgiving each other so often." Kagome said, giggling at the thought.

The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth turned upward slightly.

"Now, I have to say that the whole compromising thing is better than I can admit. Although I still think that is also something that leads us to fighting-"

A crack of thunder interrupted Kagome's words, before both Shippo and Rin ran into the cave from outside. Shippo running right to Kagome and jumping up in her arms. "It's lightning outside."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Kagome said, amused at how it seemed Shippo's hair was sticking up with his nerves, sharing a smile who had come in after them. "I'll start the fire, and I would appreciate it if you two would stay in the cave until the storm passes. I don't want you to be struck by lightning."

**A couple of days later**

After having spent the last two days traveling, they had stopped in a village to rest and ask around about some demons that have been causing trouble in the area. Kagome took the opportunity to stay on the outskirts of the village to train Rin. Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un remained nearby as well.

After nearly half an hour, Rin was finally able to get her aura to come in, but not yet all the way. "I can't hide it all."

"That's okay," Kagome said, an encouraging smile on her face. "We'll try again tomorrow. You're getting so much better at hiding your aura."

"Why do I have to do this in the first place?" Rin asked before Kagome could stand up.

"Well..." Kagome trailed off, a little unsure of how she should go about this. "When you are in an unfamiliar area or around strangers, it is a good idea to keep your aura to yourself."

"But why?"

Rin's question had Kagome at a slight loss of words. Unsure of how to go about this topic with her without scaring her.

"It can be dangerous Rin." Sesshomaru's voice hit their ears. Clearly not apprehensive like Kagome was on this topic.

Kagome's eyes flickered over to Sesshomaru, then back to Rin. "Our powers can be amazing. They can save lives. They can create things like our beautiful flowers. But there are people out there who sense our power and want to take advantage of it. They can come after us for it."

"But we didn't do anything wrong." Rin said, her innocence clear.

Kagome offered her a smile. "I know Rin, but there are some people who don't care. All it takes is for them to sense a little bit of our power, and they won't hesitate."

Rin was quiet for a moment, before she finally lifted her head to show tears in her eyes. "But I can't hide my powers yet."

A little taken aback at how quickly Rin got upset, Kagome wrapped her arms around the young girl to comfort her with a hug. "Rin, it's okay. Nothing is going to happen to you. You've got plenty of people around you to help keep you safe. And we're going to work on your powers and before you know it, you'll be able to work with your aura easily."

That didn't seem to stop Rin from shaking. "I'm scared."

"Rin," Sesshomaru's voice got Rin's attention, as he appeared a few feet away. His eyes on her. "You will be alright."

Sniffling still, Rin allowed Kagome to wipe some of her tears away, before she finally nodded. "Okay."

Taking a couple of minutes of silence to allow for Rin to calm back down, Kagome's attention was pulled to her left when the others came back. "How did it go?"

"We're seemingly on the right track." Miroku replied.

"And we're going to keep traveling." Inuyasha added, already turning in the direction to go.

"Alright," Kagome agreed, leaning over to whisper to Rin. "Are you okay?"

Despite her sniffles, Rin nodded and gave Kagome a smile, before she went to get on Ah-Un.

Kagome fell behind the others in order to remain by Rin and Ah-Un. Her eyes occasionally checking on the young girl to eventually find that she had fell asleep. Worn out from the training session they had. Her attention was pulled to her other side, where Sesshomaru appeared.

The demon lord was quiet for a few minutes, then finally he gave a slight turn of his head towards Kagome. "You are rather patient with Rin and her training."

"I think I need to be," Kagome replied honestly, her hands clasped behind her back. "With Rin being so young, there is so many things going on in her world right now. New discoveries. Both good and bad… I mean, some of the stuff she has gone through… I couldn't imagine it. When I was her age, I played with my friends, and my only concern was how to have as much fun as possible."

"I guess our experience at that age was much different." Sesshomaru added, keeping the conversation going.

Kagome chuckled, as her eyes twinkled. "Well, you do have all the time in the world to have as much fun as possible."

Sesshomaru briefly smirked, before settling his expression back to neutral. He was finding it more difficult to hide his amusement when around the miko.

"I just want to make this a good experience for Rin," Kagome said, her arms crossed over her chest. "She's so young. She really only needs to know how to keep her powers at bay until she is older and will need to use them regularly. I think the best way to go about that is for her to learn the basis of what her powers are, then how to control them."

Sesshomaru nodded once, which made Kagome raise an eyebrow. "You don't disagree."

"I appointed you to train Rin," Sesshomaru replied almost immediately. "If that is how you wish to train her, then that will be what happens."

A little surprised at how agreeing he was, Kagome smiled, but tried to hide it as she turned her head slightly away. "Okay then."

* * *

**A/N: They've finally started traveling. What do you think they'll see on their travels? What was your favorite scene?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

**Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories**


	7. Koga's Help

_Review:_

"_I just want to make this a good experience for Rin," Kagome said, her arms crossed over her chest. "She's so young. She really only needs to know how to keep her powers at bay until she is older and will need to use them regularly. I think the best way to go about that is for her to learn the basis of what her powers are, then how to control them."_

_Sesshomaru nodded once, which made Kagome raise an eyebrow. "You don't disagree."_

"_I appointed you to train Rin," Sesshomaru replied almost immediately. "If that is how you wish to train her, then that will be what happens."_

_A little surprised at how agreeing he was, Kagome smiled, but tried to hide it as she turned her head slightly away. "Okay then."_

* * *

**Four days later**

As the demon disintegrated into nothing, Kagome and Inuyasha went into a spiraling argument on who actually ended up taking the demon down.

"My arrow obviously hit it first!" Kagome exclaimed, motioning in the direction of where the demon was taken down at.

"In your dreams!" Inuyasha shot back, re-sheathing his tessaiga. "My windscar destroyed it!"

"You know Inuyasha, it is not like you're the only one who's powers work!"

"I know that!" Inuyasha shouted back to Kagome, motioning to the damaged area. "That doesn't change the fact that my windscar was obviously what took the demon down."

Sango sighed, as she and the others caught up to Kagome and Inuyasha. "Seriously?"

"Why does it matter who did it?" Shippo asked, as Kagome and Inuyasha continued to yell at each other.

"Exactly Shippo." Miroku said, looking onto Kagome and Inuyasha's intensifying fighting with a look of amusement on his face.

"Why can't we just say that you both did it and call it a day?!" Sango asked, having to raise her voice, but it still didn't seem to get Kagome and Inuyasha's attention. Sighing heavily, she turned away. "Their constant competition is driving me crazy. I'm going to go back to the village and tell them that the demon is gone. Then I'm going to enjoy a nice bath, and we can get back to traveling afterwards."

Taking one last look in Inuyasha and Kagome's direction, Miroku turned away as well. "I will go as well. Shippo. Rin."

Shippo joined them right away. Rin, however, hesitated and looked back to Kagome and Inuyasha. Right in time for Inuyasha to scowl and throw his hands up in the air.

"So what? Technically your arrow got their first, but it doesn't even matter!" Inuyasha shouted, before spinning on his heel and stalking past the others irritably towards the village.

Kagome laughed and held a smug look on her face. "I will catch up with you guys. I am going to see if I can retrieve my arrow."

"Okay," Sango said with a wave. "We will see you back at the village in a little while."

"Sounds good," Kagome said, starting off in the direction of where the demon was killed. It took her a couple of minutes, but she finally found her arrow. Before she could walk over to it, she felt a familiar aura reach out to hers. It wasn't with much grace, but it made Kagome smile. "Good job expanding your aura out to reach my Rin."

Rin appeared next to Kagome after a moment, a smile on her face. "You said that if I want someone to know that I am near them, I can do it that way."

"You did a great job," Kagome praised, stepping over to where her arrow was, she pulled it from the tree. "Why didn't you go with the others?"

It was quiet for a moment, before Rin shrugged. "I don't know."

Noticing Rin's eyes were on the ground, Kagome frowned. "Is something bothering you Rin?"

"No." Rin said, shaking her head, but her eyes remained on the ground.

Kagome returned back to Rin, and knelt down in front of her. Finally, the little girl's eyes met hers. "Rin."

Rin sighed at the question, and her hands slipped behind her back to clasp together. "Lord Sesshomaru has been gone for almost three whole days."

Kagome smiled at how it seemed Rin's concern for Sesshomaru was adorable. _He's capable of practically anything, but yet Rin still worries about him… She's right though. He's left almost three days ago with Jaken and Ah-Un for some business unrelated to what we were doing here in this village. _"Don't worry Rin. He will be back."

"He's been gone for so long though..." Rin trailed off, her eyes falling back to the ground.

"He just had some things to take care of. Don't worry, he will be back," Kagome reassured her, before taking her hand as they started walking back to the village they had been staying at the last few days. Her eyes went back down to see Rin's frown. "How about we make some flowers on the way back?"

That brought the smile back to Rin's face, as she jumped up and down. "Okay!"

An hour later, they were all settled in the building they had been staying in. Inuyasha just now returning to the main room. "It appears there are more rumors of a demon Northeast from here. It's been village hopping apparently."

Kagome sighed heavily at the mention. "I guess the rumor was true. There are a lot of demons that have been coming up here to cause problems."

"So, we'll be heading there next?" Miroko asked, receiving a nod from Kagome. "I guess we'll head out tomorrow morning then."

"Maybe we should wait for Sesshomaru to come back." Shippo suggested after noticing the frown appearing on Rin's face.

Scowling at the mention of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "He'll be fine catching up to us."

"He is Sesshomaru after all."

Kagome's words made Inuyasha's frown deepen. "He's not that great, Kagome."

"I was agreeing with what you said." Kagome said, a smile on her face at how that seemed to make Inuyasha more irritated.

"I didn't make him out to be that great."

Kagome scowled and rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic Inuyasha."

"Who are you calling dramatic?" Inuyasha countered, fire in his eyes.

**Later that night**

Kagome slid her arms out of her sleeping bag to fully stretch without waking Shippo or Rin. She was the last one awake, and the only sound was the crackle of the fire here and there. _It's a few weeks into Fall now, and the temperature is at the point where it drops at night. It makes sleeping so much easier. __This Summer was so hot that it was almost unbearable. __Ever since I started spending more time here after the defeat of Naraku, the weather is something that I notice more. The extremely hot weather or cold weather. It's a luxury to have the modern-day air conditioning and heat._

Trying to push her thoughts away, Kagome closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Allowing herself to meditate for a while, she tried to use that to break away all the stresses and worries from the day. Before she could let herself try to sleep, Kagome felt a familiar aura brush up against hers. Opening her eyes, she found Sesshomaru was seated, leaning back against the wall a few feet from her. "You're back."

Sesshomaru gave her a single nod of his head. The fire lighting up his features, his golden eyes seeming to sparkle with the flames reflection.

"Rin was fairly anxious after you left," Kagome said, trying to keep her voice soft as to not wake up Shippo or Rin. "I tried to keep her distracted, but she was still fairly worried about you."

Sesshomaru's eyes slid down to where Rin was sleeping. They remained for a moment, then returned to Kagome.

"Why did you leave?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I had other matters to attend to."

"Oh okay..." Kagome trailed off, knowing that Sesshomaru wasn't one for long conversations. She rested her head back down and closed her eyes.

"A few days ago, we were close to the Northern part of the border of the Western Lands."

Kagome's eyes opened again at Sesshomaru's voice. "Oh, I didn't know that."

Sesshomaru nodded once. "I have not been in that area in several months, and it was time to survey the land. That is why I separated from your group."

"How did that go?" Kagome asked, turning her head so she could look at Sesshomaru again.

"All is how it should be."

"Good..." Kagome trailed off with a smile.

"It seems to be one of the larger parts of the Western Land that hadn't yet been touched by Rin's flowers."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh, and had to quickly cover her mouth as to not wake anyone else up. "I'm sure whenever you and Rin return back to your land, she'll happily grow her flowers everywhere."

A corner of Sesshomaru's mouth lifted upward, as Kagome had laughed. When they fell into silence, his eyes had moved back to her. He watched as she yawned and her eyes closed. As it appeared she was falling asleep, his eyes returned upward to the starry sky.

**The next day**

The others had awoken that morning, unaffected by Sesshomaru's return. Rin, however, had hollered at the top of her lungs with excitement at his return. Birds in the trees took flight to distance themselves from the area. However, the young girl hardly took notice, as her attention was on Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, you're back! I want you to see how good I am at pulling my aura in now."

Jaken scowled with disdain for the human girl. "You do a terrible job it while sleeping- ow! Wench!"

Kagome sent a wave of purification his way, glaring at his rude comment. Although, as soon as her eyes were back to Rin, she smiled. "Don't worry, Rin. You'll get better at it, but you're doing a great job when you're awake."

"Thank you," Rin smiled cheerfully, before skipping ahead of Sesshomaru and Kagome. "Come on, let's go!"

As they followed Rin, Sesshomaru's eyes picked up on the patches of white and pink flowers here and there. "It seems there are quite a lot of flowers in this area."

Kagome laughed, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Rin and I got a little carried away before we went to sleep last night-"

"Hey Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice interrupted her from back where the others were. "We don't have time for this!"

"Sit boy!" Kagome called back, offering him a smile. "Oh Inuyasha, it looks like you may need a few minutes to recover from that. Don't worry, we'll happily stick around to give you enough time!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha hollered, digging himself out of the hole that he made in the ground.

Sesshomaru noticed Kagome chuckling. Once out of earshot from the others, his eyes landed on her. "You seem to be on good terms with Inuyasha."

Again, Kagome laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, maybe not anymore."

"It didn't seem that way before I had departed."

"Oh, were we fighting then?" Kagome countered, humming and raising an eyebrow. "I don't remember that, but I guess I'll take your word for it."

Sesshomaru was unable to help the small smirk that came to his face, as the miko laughed. Rin clapping her hands together gathered their attention.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

**An hour later**

"You two have so much energy today!" Kagome called to Shippo and Rin, who were busy running and playing farther ahead of them.

"I've never been more jealous of children in my life," Sango added, chuckling at the sight of Rin and Shippo. "I have no energy and I'm nauseous all the time. This is not fair."

Kagome joined Sango in laughing this time. However, her laughter died down when she noticed Inuyasha stop. "What-"

"Oh no," Inuyasha said, a growl coming from after sniffing the air. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What-"

A fast tornado interrupted Kagome's words, and in front of them appeared Koga. Striding past Inuyasha, Koga stopped in front of Kagome. "Lovely Kagome."

Kagome laughed, as she could just barely see Inuyasha fuming from behind Koga. "Good morning Koga."

Before Koga could speak, Inuyasha appeared by Kagome's side. A low growl coming from him. "What are you doing here?"

The smug smirk that Koga usually carried disappeared, as his eyes left Kagome to land on Inuyasha. "I don't have to answer to you, dog face."

"I-" Inuyasha broke off, as everyone's attention went to Sango. At that moment, she was currently losing the contents of her stomach by a tree. Miroku's hand on her back with concern, a slight expression of concern on his face.

Kagome could see the questioning look in Koga's eye, and she smiled. "Sango's pregnant."

"Well, I could have told you that when I came by Kaede's village looking for Kagome." Koga said, his hand propped on his hip.

Sango glared in his direction. "What does that even mean? You and Inuyasha, I swear-"

"Don't worry about it Sango," Kagome interrupted quickly, shaking her head in Koga's direction to keep him from saying anything more. "What are you doing here?"

"I sensed you were nearby, and thought I'd drop by to say hello." Koga replied, his usual smirk on his face.

"Why couldn't you have answered when I asked that question a minute ago?" Inuyasha asked.

"Like I said, I don't have to answer to you-"

"Can we not do this whole arguing thing right now?" Kagome asked, interrupting Koga at the sight of the intense glares between Koga and Inuyasha.

Koga tilted his head to the side at the sight of Sesshomaru. "You're still traveling with his group."

"Yes, well we are temporarily traveling together for reasons I can explain later," Kagome said, waving it off. "But first, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Sure, what is it?"

Glancing back at the others, Kagome motioned for Koga to follow her away from the others.

Almost as soon as Koga and Kagome were out of earshot, Inuyasha's grumbling could be heard. "I don't like that. Where the hell is she going with that mangy wolf-"

"Come on Inuyasha," Sango interrupted him, sighing heavily. "He's not that bad."

"Not that bad?!" Inuyasha asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"You're just hellbent on hating Koga, and that is why you can't see that." Miroku pointed out, chuckling at the sight of Inuyasha glaring in the direction Kagome and Koga went off to.

Sesshomaru's eyes followed the same path as Inuyasha's. A stoic look on his face, but a hint of interest in his eyes.

**Away from the others**

Once far enough away to be out of earshot, Kagome stopped and turned to Koga. "So, there is something I need to work on, and I was hoping you could help me train."

Koga raised an eyebrow. "Why ask me? Our skill sets are quite different."

"Well, I could ask my other friends, but I don't see that going too well. Inuyasha and I would spend more time arguing than training. And I need Miroku to stay with the others just in case Inuyasha and Sesshomaru decide to stop being somewhat civil and try to kill each other," Kagome said, pausing to laugh along with Koga. "And Sango is out of the question. Not because she is pregnant, but because I've seen her train her brother and she's a very scary teacher."

"I can see that," Koga chuckled before rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh yeah, I guess I can help you out… So, you're traveling with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru now?"

Chuckling at the raised eyebrow Koga gave her, Kagome smiled and nodded. "I know it seems rather unbelievable. However, as long as they don't talk to each other or look at each other, then everything seems to go smoothly. The only reason Sesshomaru and his group are traveling with mine is so I can help train Rin's priestess abilities."

"I knew something was different about that kid from the last time I saw her," Koga said, nodding his head as he pieced it together. "Her aura was all over the place, and it seems more relaxed now."

"Today's a good day then, I guess," Kagome said, quickly waving her hand to get back on topic. "Anyway, about a week before the last time we saw each other, I was involved in a fight with a demon that could control fog. It didn't completely stop my ability to fight, but it slowed me down significantly. I need to be able to fight even when my vision is weakened, and I want you to help me get better at it."

"I think I can help you out with that. When do you want to start?"

"This evening if you have the time."

"Hmm," Koga hummed in thought, as he tapped his chin. "I can make that happen. I'll stay in the area, and I'll come back around this evening."

"Perfect," Kagome smiled at him, and gave him a wave. "I guess I will see you this evening."

"Later Kagome." Koga replied, flashing her a smirk, before he started running off in a speedy tornado.

After Koga left, Kagome smiled at the others. "Alright, let's go."

Everyone seemed to accept that, except for Inuyasha, who was about to explode. "What were you talking about with Koga?"

Fighting the urge to sigh at how quickly it took for Inuyasha to question her. "I asked him for a favor. He'll be around for the next few days."

"What favor?" Inuyasha asked without hesitation. However, no response came from Kagome, and he crossed his arms. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Why do I have to?" Kagome countered quickly, her eyes meeting Inuyasha's with a glare. "It's not a big deal Inuyasha. Koga and I are friends."

"I don't like that either.

Kagome rolled her eyes, and turned away from him to go open her bag. "Inuyasha, I'm not going to get involved in the pissing contest between you and Koga."

Inuyasha scowled again. "Koga's a mangy wolf!"

"He's not that bad Inuyasha." Kagome replied, her eye starting to twitch with how Inuyasha could never seem to let his differences with Koga go.

"Are you kidding me?" Inuyasha countered, before proceeding to list off all the reasons he didn't like Koga.

Miroku held a smirk, as he looked to Sango. "Just like old times."

"I don't miss this honestly." Sango said, although she smirked at Kagome and Inuyasha's back and forth.

Meanwhile, from where Sesshomaru had settled a bit farther away from the others, his eyes were focused on the direction where he could still sense the wolf demon. Unable to help the slight hint of interest, as to what the miko wanted with the wolf demon.

**Later that evening**

"So Koga is coming to help you with something?" Sango asked, as she and Kagome were on their walk back to the others after having gone for more firewood. They made a place to stay for the night, and they were settling down after dinner.

"Yeah, I think it'll only take a few days," Kagome said, a smile on her face. "Only because I wouldn't dare keep him around that long around Inuyasha. Those two can't go a minute without fighting… Speaking of Koga, I think he's almost here. I'll try to get him away before he can talk to Inuyasha."

"Too late for that." Sango said, as they arrived back to the clearing where the others was, just as Koga did.

Glaring in the direction of the wolf demon, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't you have anything better to do than to follow us around?"

"For your information, Kagome asked me to come back, dog breath," Koga shot back irritably, however, when he turned to Kagome, it was with a smile on his face. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Kagome said with a smile.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "Wait. You were serious about that?"

"Obviously." Koga said before Kagome could, receiving a glare from Inuyasha.

"We'll be back," Kagome gave a wave, as she crossed the clearing to Koga. "We won't be far. But that is not an invitation to come and bother us Inuyasha."

Scowling at Kagome's words, Inuyasha's eyes darted to Koga, then to Kagome. "It'll be dark in an hour-"

"So what?" Koga interrupted him, glaring. "She'll be with me, so she will be safe."

As that started Inuyasha and Koga into an argument about her safety, Kagome deadpanned. Trying to keep herself from getting involved, she looped her arm through Koga's and started off away from the others. "That's enough. Let's go!"

Once they were far enough away from the others, Kagome let go of Koga and sighed. "You and Inuyasha always have to fight with each other."

A grin appeared on Koga's face. "I am not the one who starts the fights-" He paused when Kagome glared at him. "Seriously. I only stop by to say hello to you. I can't help how he reacts."

"I know, but you could try not to make it worse." Kagome said, an eyebrow raised at how that made Koga grin again.

"Where's the fun in that? Koga countered, chuckling when that made Kagome smile. "Anyway, I was thinking that maybe we should start with your eyes open. Then we can move onto you not using your eyes."

"I think that's a good idea." Kagome agreed, beginning to take off her weapons.

Koga's head tilted to the side. "What are you doing?"

Kagome smiled. "I figured that I would do this without my weapons. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"Oh," Koga started, a grin stretching across his face. "You don't want to hurt me?"

"You know what I mean," Kagome grinned back at him, as she finished taking her weapons off. Her eyes glancing back in the direction of the others. _Inuyasha has been in a bad mood all day. Hopefully, this training won't take that many days. I don't think I can put up with a grumpy Inuyasha for that long. _Her focus went back to Koga. "Let's do this."

**The next evening**

Inuyasha's foot tapping on the ground was beginning to become more and more obvious to the others, as Kagome had been gone with Koga for the past hour. _She already disappeared with him for an hour yesterday evening. Why does she have to do it again tonight?_

"Inuyasha, your fidgeting is getting on my nerves." Sango informed him. Her eyes twitching at how he seemed completely oblivious to how annoying he was being.

"Hmph," Inuyasha mumbled and stopped tapping. After a moment of silence, he scowled. "They've been gone for over an hour."

"Kagome is fine Inuyasha. She's not that far away." Sango replied, relaxing her head back on the tree she was sitting next to.

"You don't know that-"

"Will you stop worrying?" Sango interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Koga is with her."

Sango's words seemed to infuriate Inuyasha even more. He turned away from the others, and crossed his arms over his chest. Barely a minute passed, before his foot tapping continued.

Half an hour passed by, before Kagome finally broke through the treeline. She had barely managed a few steps towards them, before Inuyasha planted himself right in front of her. "Okay, what have you and Koga been up to? Last night and tonight?"

Stepping around Inuyasha, Kagome grabbed her bag from where she left it an hour and a half ago. "If I wanted you to know what I was doing, then I would have told you. You need to respect the fact that there are somethings that I just don't want to tell you."

"I respect you-"

"Yeah right," Kagome interrupted him with a glare. "I feel respected when you and Koga argued over my safety last night, acting as if I can't take of myself! I really feel the _respect_ Inuyasha!"

"Hey you two," Sango spoke up before Inuyasha could respond. "Shippo and Rin are trying to sleep, so maybe you two should call it a night."

Kagome immediately nodded in agreement, as she slipped the straps of her bag on her shoulders. "Fine."

"You know," Inuyasha said, completely ignoring Sango's words, as he pursued Kagome. "Three years ago, you couldn't protect yourself. So you can't really blame me-"

"It's not three years ago now is it?!" Kagome shot back, scowling and throwing her hands up in the air. "Sit you jerk!"

As Inuyasha made a dent into the ground, Kagome spun around and left back into the forest. Muttering something about going to go bathe. Sango, sharing a look with Miroku, returned her gaze to Inuyasha, who was pulling himself off the ground. "Do you ever learn?"

Miroku sighed at Inuyasha's grumbling. "You don't think before you speak. You always take it one step too far."

Instead of responding, Inuyasha jumped up into one of the trees to sit. Sango's eyes returned to Miroku's. "Well, at least it's quiet now."

**A half-hour later, by the river**

Having re-dressed, Kagome was working on combing through the tangles in her hair. The tension in her shoulders had gone away with her relaxing bath, and she had pushed the rest of the world away. She was brought back to reality when Sesshomaru's aura had brushed against her own. Her eyes opened to see his golden ones on the opposite side of the river than she was on. Grabbed her bag, she stood up, and put her comb away. "I'm done. I just wanted to take a few minutes for myself, before I went back."

"Everyone is asleep," Sesshomaru informed her, his eyes following her slipping her bag on. Just as she turned to leave, he cleared his throat to catch her attention again. "Why won't you talk about what you are doing with the wolf demon?"

Kagome stopped walking and sighed. She didn't say anything for a minute, before she finally turned her head to look at him. "Ever since we came across that fog demon a couple of weeks ago, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the situation I was in. In the fog, I was practically blinded, and I just barely got by fighting those demons. It makes me anxious, thinking about how vulnerable I was in that situation. So, I asked Koga to help me train and get stronger when I can't see."

While Sesshomaru didn't respond, the look in his eye prompted Kagome to continue.

"I haven't talked about it with my friends, because I've kept my training private from them," Kagome paused, tucking her hair back behind her ear, and her eyes lifted up to the sky. "For the years we spent traveling together, the only thing I contributed to the group was being a human jewel shard detector. This past year… I finally came into my own, and I worked hard to get to where I am. I just still get a little embarrassed when I still have weaknesses."

Sesshomaru remained quiet for a moment, as his golden eyes waited for her eyes to return to his. "It is human not to be perfect."

That brought a smile to Kagome's face, and a twinkle in her eye. "I know, but I'd still like to try my best."

Kagome started to walk in the direction of the others then, Sesshomaru's eyes followed her. Unable to help the small smirk that worked its way on his face.

**The next day**

Golden eyes flickered around the clearing, sweeping around the other sleeping members of the group, and stopping on the dark-haired priestess that was sitting in the grass several feet away from them. Jumping down from the tree he was perched in, he took quiet steps over to avoid waking up the others, and finally came to a stop beside her.

A sigh came from her, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Inuyasha, I'm really not in the mood."

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha sat down beside her, and slipped his hands into his sleeves. "I'm sorry, okay? I just… I really don't like Koga."

Surprisingly enough, a smirk grew on Kagome's face. "Really? I had no idea-"

"Look Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted her, his eyes focusing more intently on her. "My point is that I do believe in you. You've been an equal part to our team for a while. Even when we were searching for jewel shards. You helped even when it wasn't you getting involved in all the action. I'm sorry that I made you feel otherwise."

Silence filled the air after Inuyasha stopped talking. He had looked away while apologizing, and that gave Kagome the opportunity to finally look at him. A smile growing on her face, before she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, Koga won't be coming back around for a couple of days. So… You can be happy about that."

Relaxing at Kagome's acceptance of his apology, Inuyasha grew a smirk on his face. "Maybe I should go hunting the next day he shows up."

Kagome laughed at his suggestion. "I'm sure you'll want to be there, and that would give you an excuse to call him names and prompt him into fighting with you."

"I don't always start it." Inuyasha shot back with a glare.

Chuckling at Inuyasha's grumbling, Kagome eyed the rising sun in front of them. "Sure Inuyasha. Sure."

**That afternoon**

"I'm sorry, what?" Kagome asked, turning around to meet golden eyes that belonged to Sesshomaru. "Why would I close my eyes?"

Sesshomaru didn't say anything at first, before motioning around them. "You desired to train your abilities privately. The others are still at that town, and won't be back for another half hour."

_Wait? He's offering to spar me? _Kagome hesitated, but she finally gave a nod of her head. However, it was a lot more difficult than she thought to close both of her eyes, as she began to feel nervous at the idea of sparring with Sesshomaru.

Realizing her hesitation, Sesshomaru actually removes both of his swords, and turns back to face her. "Close one eye."

"Okay." Kagome agreed finally, as she loosened up her shoulders. In a split second after closing her eye, Sesshomaru was heading directly towards her, and she barely moved out of the way in time. Continuing on until she was on the opposite side of the clearing than him again, she took a deep breath. _This is going to be a challenge._

As they kept on, Sesshomaru was finding himself slowly becoming interested in how the miko was able to keep up with him. When they reached a moment of pause, he held a hand up to pause her. ""Close both of your eyes."

"Uh, okay-" Kagome broke off, as she could tell almost immediately with her eyes closed, that she was at a significant disadvantage. Realizing she wasn't able to achieve much offense wise, she focused most of her energy on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru recognized her instant switch to defense with both her eyes closed, and it caught his interest. _She realized almost immediately that her best option was to take a defensive position. She is quick on her feet._

They kept on for a few more minutes, until finally Kagome found herself cornered against a tree. Realizing she was caught, she laughed and finally opened her eyes. "Wow, that was an unexpected workout."

Sesshomaru's head tilted slightly to the side. "That was adequate."

A little surprised at the praise, Kagome's smile widened. "I guess my training is helping a little."

After a moment of silence, Sesshomaru stepped away, and allowed her to move away from the tree. "It doesn't appear you require more of it."

Raising an eyebrow at that, Kagome was interrupted with the distant voices of Shippo and Rin, hollering about who could make it back first. Smiling at their cheerful sounding voices, Kagome tucked her hair behind her ear. "We should go back. It appears the others are finally back."

**A couple of days later**

"Well that was fun." Kagome said, a little out of breath, as her last sparring match with Koga ended.

"What can I say? As expected, you're good at pretty much anything you do," Koga said, his usual sly smirk on his face. "You did pick up on this new style of fighting pretty quickly."

"I practiced a couple of times since the last time we trained together," Kagome explained, clasping her hands behind her back. "I feel much more comfortable with it."

Koga nodded and propped a hand on his hip. "Well, I think we can officially say you don't need this training anymore. On another note, I do need to head back to the den. Ayame needs me for something."

"Now that you mention it," Kagome started, a small smirk on her face. "How is Ayame doing? How are you both doing"

"Kagome, stop." Koga said, his cheeks flushing red, before he hurriedly turned to start running off.

Kagome smiled at how easy it was to get under Koga's skin. Starting on her way back to her friends, she ran over her training session with Koga, and how she felt much more confident. However, her thoughts changed to white hair, golden eyes, and a crescent moon. _Sesshomaru helped me too, I guess… _Trailing off as she arrived back by the others. "I'm back."

"That was quick." Sango noted.

"Yeah well, we didn't have much to do today. Koga is heading back to the den, and now Inuyasha can stop being so grumpy-"

"I haven't been grumpy!" Inuyasha interrupted, grumbling under his breath at how that just seemed to make Kagome laugh.

"Sure you haven't Inuyasha," Kagome said, fighting the urge to laugh some more, as her eyes went back to Sango. "There is a river nearby. Let's go bathe."

**An hour and a half later**

Kagome had finally gotten out of the water. She had stayed almost half an hour more than Sango and Rin, as she wanted to relax a bit longer. Now she was dressed and combing out her hair. The sun had gone down, and she was listening to the bugs singing their songs in the distance. It was after a few minutes of sitting there that she felt Sesshomaru's aura brush against hers, before he appeared a few feet away.

It was quiet after they met each other's eyes, and Kagome stopped combing her hair. "So, Koga said I was doing well. We're stopping our training. He has other things to do, and I can't expect him to stick around me all the time. But it was nice of him to do it."

"It was unlikely that you would need more training anyways." Sesshomaru said, leading them into silence again.

After realizing that she was staring at Sesshomaru, Kagome averted her eyes and chuckled. "I'm surprised that you and Inuyasha haven't tried to kill each other yet."

"It is likely due to the several threats you have given Inuyasha each time he attempted to start a fight." Sesshomaru replied rather quickly, a note of humor in his tone.

Kagome laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought I was kind of discreet about that."

"Your usage of that subjugation necklace usually gives it away." Sesshomaru replied, the corner of his mouth turned upward slightly with amusement when that made Kagome laugh.

It took a moment for Kagome to settle her laughter down, and she stood up. "It's getting chilly out here. I'm going to go try and get some sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight miko..."

Kagome paused briefly kind of in shock when she heard the murmured words come from Sesshomaru. However, she kept going, and tried not to make a big deal of it. A small smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: I enjoy writing Koga into this story. I always enjoy a good laugh at his and Inuyasha's rivalry. Would you want to see Koga again? What was your favorite scene?**

**Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	8. Something's Out There

_Review:_

"_Your usage of that subjugation necklace usually gives it away." Sesshomaru replied, the corner of his mouth turned upward slightly with amusement when that made Kagome laugh._

_It took a moment for Kagome to settle her laughter down, and she stood up. "It's getting chilly out here. I'm going to go try and get some sleep. Goodnight."_

"_Goodnight miko..."_

_Kagome paused briefly kind of in shock when she heard the murmured words come from Sesshomaru. However, she kept going, and tried not to make a big deal of it. A small smile on her face._

* * *

**A week later**

Kagome shifted as Inuyasha adjusted her from where she was on his back. They were traveling well into Eastern territories now, as they had cleared the demons they had been hearing about from the North. They were right on the border of a village that was built into a valley when they started to slow down. "It looks like we'll be staying here tonight."

"Mm-hm." Inuyasha mumbled in agreement, as the setting sun wasn't giving them much of a choice.

"This is great," Sango gushed, getting off of Kilala with Shippo and Miroku. "It's been five days since the last village we stayed in, and I can't wait to sleep inside for a change."

After Inuyasha set Kagome down, she walked over to look at the overhead view they had of the village from the cliff they were on. A burst of Fall wind went by them, and for a split second, she felt the same bad feeling she had felt that day when the fog demon showed up. Although it disappeared right away, and she couldn't determine where it had come from. At the lack of concern from the others, she sighed. _Maybe I was just imagining it._

"Kagome!" Sango called, waving her hand to get her friend's attention. "We don't want to leave you behind!"

"Sorry!" Kagome called back, picking up her pace to jog back over to walk along with everyone else. Clasping her hands together behind her back, she tried to put her focus on the other's conversation.

"We should still be keeping our eyes open," Miroku said, his eyes sweeping around them. "There could be demons around."

Inuyasha scowled. "I don't sense anything worth bothering with."

That brought a smirk to Miroku's face. "Regardless… We tend to find ourselves in trouble when we get too comfortable."

Her friend's words started to get lost to her ears, as Kagome began to get lost back in her thoughts. Trying to push her aura out to feel that same feeling, but to no avail. _I'm not crazy… But it makes me feel crazy that no one else seems to feel what I can feel._

**A half-hour later**

Sesshomaru was up on the roof of the building that they were staying in for the night. His eyes focused upon the cloudless sky. The never-ending sea of blue sky was accompanied by the distant buzz of the villagers voices. When they first arrived, the villagers had recognized Kagome's group right away. There was some story about how they had helped rid of a demon in the past that he didn't pay much attention to. All he gathered was that the villagers were more than willing to offer up a place for them to stay for the night.

Trying to shake off the thoughts of his traveling companions, Sesshomaru's focus went back up to the blue sky. Finding himself getting back to swimming in the blue sky, the buzzing of voices started to fade away.

"Hey are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The sound of Kagome's voice had Sesshomaru's attention, as he sat up. Moving across the rooftop until he finally found where she and the demon slayer were sitting.

"Are you sure?" Sango asked, having looked to Kagome with doubt in her eyes.

Kagome was quiet, before she shrugged. "I don't know. We've traveled the past five days, and it seemed like it was never going to end."

"You're telling me," Sango agreed, leaning back to rest her elbows on the step two higher than they were sitting. "I didn't realize how tired I'd be while pregnant, and I'm only three months along. I don't know how I'm going to manage at six months pregnant. I might die of exhaustion honestly."

"That's what I was saying before we started traveling," Kagome said, laughing along with Sango. "I'm sure you'll be fine though. You have Kilala to help you out, and you won't have to put in too much effort to travel with us"

"I guess- Hey," Sango said, nudging Kagome's side. "Don't change the subject. We're supposed to be talking about you."

Sighing at her bringing it back up, Kagome eyed the sky. "I don't know Sango. Everything's probably fine. I just had a second of a bad feeling, and I don't know if it is just me being crazy or something to actually be concerned about."

"Kagome, you know yourself better than anyone. I think you just need to trust yourself."

"That's easier said than done," Kagome replied, sighing as she rubbed her temples. "I know that I can overreact sometimes, and it's very possible that what I felt was that."

Smiling with sympathy at Kagome's distress, Sango patted her knee. "I am here if there is anything that you need."

That brought a smile back to Kagome's face, as she looped her arm through Sango's and she rested her head on her shoulder. "Thank you Sango. I appreciate it."

Back up on top of the roof, Sesshomaru's eyes studied Kagome for a moment, before he moved back over to where he was originally. His eyes found their way back up to the sky, but this time, he found himself unable to fully relax.

**Later that afternoon**

"Okay Rin," Kagome said, smiling at how Rin had her eyes closed and her hands over them as well. "What do you feel?"

Rin, who was in the middle of the clearing ten feet away, had right away pointed in Kagome's direction. "I feel your aura."

"Anything else?" Kagome asked, nodding her head in approval at how Rin had turned and pointed to Inuyasha on the opposite side of the training ground.

"Inuyasha's over there."

Inuyasha, who was up in a tree, had looked over and gave a nod. "Good job kid."

Without hesitation, Rin turned again and a smile graced her face. "Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome smiled at how happy that made Rin, as Sesshomaru had gone further away as Kagome wanted to challenge Rin. She had gotten to know Sesshomaru's aura really well, and it was starting to get too easy for her to find him. "Well Rin, I'd say you're getting really good at this."

Rin had opened her eyes, but froze up before she could move. Jumping out of the way just in time for when Shippo had sprung out of a bush to try to catch her.

Shippo scowled and crossed her arms. "Darn it!"

Unlike Shippo, Rin was all giggles and smiles, as she skipped around him. "You missed me, you missed me! I knew you were coming!"

Shippo's scowling had Kagome smiling as she scooped him up in her arms. "You can't win every time Shippo."

"I know but it's better that way." Shippo replied with a sigh.

"Ha!" Inuyasha exclaimed, sending a grumpy look Kagome's way. "I wonder who he learned that from."

"Why don't you go to that river nearby and look at your reflection to find out?" Kagome countered, matching the glare Inuyasha was sending her way.

"Rin, let's try this again. I think I can do it this time."

Shippo's suggestion had Rin giggling and nodding. "Alright, let's do it-"

"Wait a second," Kagome interrupted Rin before she and Shippo could runoff. "I think it's time we wrap up training for the day."

"What?" Shippo asked, at the same time as Rin said, "Just a little bit longer."

Smiling at their enthusiasm, Kagome motioning back in the direction of the village. "We get to sleep inside tonight instead of out in the middle of the forest. I think we should take advantage of that and go spend some time indoors."

It looked as if Shippo was going to disagree, but at a look from Kagome, he nodded and grabbed Rin's hand. "Okay, let's go Rin."

"Hey," Inuyasha said, jumping down from the tree he had been into land next to the children. "First one back gets the good spot away from the door."

Inuyasha's challenge had seemed to work in riling both children up to run back to the village. Kagome laughed at how easy that was for Inuyasha to get the kids to get more on board with going to the village. As they got farther ahead, her eyes went to Sesshomaru who remained walking beside her. "Rin's progressing a lot quicker these last few days. I think-"

"What had bothered you earlier?" Sesshomaru interrupted, his golden eyes focused forward at first, but they landed on her when she didn't respond. "You held a look of concern before we entered the village today."

"Oh that?" Kagome asked, giving a shrug of her shoulders, as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I don't know. It's probably nothing."

Sesshomaru's eyes remained on Kagome, however, a frown had begun to form.

"It didn't last all that long," Kagome said, wringing her hands together, before settling them clasped behind her back. "I just thought I sensed the same feeling that I had that day I had sensed Rin's powers for the first time… Although it wasn't Rin's powers I sensed today. It was that same dark feeling that came from those demons."

Sesshomaru was quiet at first, as he watched her. "That doesn't seem like something to keep to yourself."

"I know that… It's just that it happened in a split second, and I don't know if it was actually something to worry about or my imagination," Kagome said with a shrug. "No one else seemed to sense anything was wrong, and honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if I was just imagining things."

"I will go survey the area."

"You know, I don't really think that is necessary-" Kagome broke off at the look Sesshomaru gave her, before turning to go. "Right, you can do whatever you want to… Be careful."

Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment, but continued on. Taking flight and disappearing quickly in the clouds.

While Kagome couldn't see him anymore, Kagome watched the clouds for a long moment, before turning and jogging to catch up with the others. _I guess this is a good thing. I'm sure Sesshomaru would know better than anyone if there is really anything that could be a problem._

**Later that night**

Kagome's eyes opened after failing to let sleep take over. Her mind had been racing, and it was frustrating that she couldn't get it to shut off. The others had fallen asleep around an hour ago, as it was a lot easier to sleep when they were inside. Sitting up after a moment of staring at the ceiling, Kagome glanced over to check on Shippo and Rin. Both were on their own sleeping mats since they were inside, but they were still close by.

Getting up slowly, Kagome tip-toed outside, and sat down on the steps. Greeted by the night sky, she smiled at how clear the stars were. _This is one of my favorite things about the feudal era. We would never see a sky this clear at home. _Resting her head against the railing on the stairs, she sighed and continued studying the sky. It didn't take long for her to grow comfortable, and her eyes fluttered closed.

The next thing she knew, the feeling of another large aura against hers woke her up. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to meet golden ones, as Sesshomaru was standing in front of the steps where she was. Sitting up, she yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Was there anyone out there?"

"Nothing to be concerned with." Was all Sesshomaru said.

"Oh okay..." Kagome trailed off, fidgeting with the sleeve on her shirt. "It must have been my imagination."

"I find that unlikely."

Kagome met his eyes again. Her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "You just said you didn't find anything-"

"That is correct. However, you should not discount yourself," Sesshomaru interrupted her, noticing that stopped her fidgeting. "You have felt that type of presence before. I don't believe you would forget it."

Kagome shrugged and sighed heavily. "I guess. I just don't know if I feel better knowing that they are really out there somewhere. Either way, I appreciate you checking everything out anyways."

They fell into silence after that. Instead of leaving right away, Sesshomaru took to the steps, and sat on the opposite side from her. His eyes copying hers in looking up at the night sky.

"I think I would like us to start heading back down South towards Kaede's village. It just seems like a good idea. We are running lower on supplies, and it'll take us about a week of travel to get back there," Kagome paused, chuckling at the potential trip. "Of course, it could take us longer if we get distracted on our way back home."

A small smirk appeared on Sesshomaru's face. "After having traveled with your group for almost three weeks, it is obvious that you get distracted a lot."

"It's usually for good reasons though. Like helping a village out." Kagome explained, noticing that didn't seem to make the smirk leave Sesshomaru's face.

"Or that one day where our travels came to a hault when you and Inuyasha were about to kill each other."

Kagome couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh at that. It got to the point where she had to try to cover her mouth in order to try to keep from waking up the others inside. When her laughter settled, she couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I guess not all of our distractions are for good reasons… Although it wouldn't have happened if Inuyasha wasn't so stubborn."

Sesshomaru's smirk briefly reappeared until he noticed Kagome yawning, and his usual stoic expression returned as he looked away from her.

Kagome stood up and stretched her arms above her. "I think I am going to go back inside. Maybe I can get some sleep now..." She trailed off, noticing at how that briefly had Sesshomaru looking back at her. She felt her cheeks grow a little warm for some reason, and she turned and hurried back inside. _That was a weird feeling._

**The next day**

"I'm ready to be back home already," Sango said, yawning as she walked back into the room they stayed in last night. She had spent the first half-hour she had been awake watching the sunrise with Miroku. "It's been too long, and I miss Kohaku."

"We certainly have had a longer travel stretch than usual. We've been gone for three weeks," Miroku said, agreeing with Sango. "Are we still planning to leave after breakfast?"

Numbing out the conversation that followed, Kagome's eyes drifted down to look at her hands. Realizing that she was fidgeting, she clasped them together.

"Mama," Shippo's voice hit her ears softly with a whisper, as he appeared beside her. "You okay?"

Hesitating for a moment, Kagome finally smiled and nodded. "Yeah I'm fine."

Shippo's head tilted to the side as he studied her. Finally he hugged her and nestled his face against her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too Shippo." Kagome replied, waiting until Shippo let go, before she herself did. Watching as he walked back over to where Rin was, she sighed and smiled a bit. _He's so sweet._

"Miko."

Sesshomaru's voice hit her ears, and Kagome felt the usual spark of irritation arise at him using that to address. "It's Kagome."

"Miko." Sesshomaru repeated, sliding open the door to go outside.

At his instance, Kagome sighed heavily and stood up. Following him outside anyway. Once they were out of earshot from the building, they both stopped. "What is it?"

"You still appear anxious."

"I can't help it," Kagome replied almost immediately, her eyes on the forest line they'd be traveling through shortly. "It's not like I can just flip a switch and everything be fine."

Sesshomaru wasn't quite sure as to what she meant at first, but was able to conclude what she was trying to say. "If you are uncertain, tell your group to stay here another night."

"Everyone is ready to go home though-"

"That should be of no concern to you," Sesshomaru interrupted her, his golden eyes finally meeting hers. "Your group looks to you for direction. If you think you should stay, they will stay."

"I guess," Kagome said, wringing her hands together, and contemplating what she should do. "Are you sure there was nothing out there?"

That finally had Sesshomaru's eyes leaving hers, as he gave a nod. "Nothing that would be of concern to you."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not afraid of anything," Kagome replied back almost immediately. Leaving them in short silence, before she finally turned away and cross her arms. "We'll leave today. Just because I am the only one who's apparently insane doesn't mean that I should hold everyone else back."

"You're not insane," Sesshomaru replied, a small smirk on his face. "Not about this topic at least."

That brought a smile to Kagome's face, as she looked over her shoulder at him. Her focus was shaken away from Sesshomaru, as the door slid open and Inuyasha walked out.

"Hey, what's the plan here?" Inuyasha asked, his hand settled on his tessaiga casually.

After looking back at Sesshomaru briefly, Kagome sighed then smiled at Inuyasha. "We're leaving."

**Later that night**

Kagome shivered as she got out of the river. She was quick to dry off so she could put her clothes back on. Once clothed, she found herself looking up at the starry sky, and sighing at how she was sure daylight was still hours away. Her anxiety had gotten the better of her, and she only managed a couple of hours of sleep before getting up to go run. _Despite the anxiety, we had a good travel day. The weather wasn't too bad, and we didn't run into any issues for once. I think being around the others definitely help distract me during the day, but at night when everyone is sleeping… The anxiety just came right back._

The sound of a twig snapping caught Kagome's attention, and she turned around sharply. However, the familiar sense of Rin's aura meeting hers had her loosen her tense posture, as she knelt down. "Rin."

Walking out from behind a tree, the young girl held a sleepy look on her face. "I woke up and didn't know where you were."

Kagome kept a smile on her face to reassure Rin. "It's okay. I just went for a run to get some exercise."

Rin's expression showed a mixture of exhaustion and confusion. "But it's night time."

"I know. I just couldn't sleep. Sometimes I run when I need to clear my head. It makes me feel better."

Rin's head tilted to the side. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Not this time..." Kagome trailed off into a yawn. Her exhaustion seeming to get worse just by thinking about it. "I've been having trouble sleeping. I have felt a little anxious the past couple of days."

"What does anxious mean?"

"It means that I'm just a little nervous and worried," Kagome answered, rubbing her temples. "It's been making it difficult to sleep."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Rin said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Kagome.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, but accepted the hug. "What's this for?"

Rin pulled back a little to look at Kagome. "I feel better when you hug me, and I wanted to make you feel better."

Kagome couldn't help but smile at how genuinely sweet Rin was. She_ can certainly lift someone's mood. _Taking a moment to enjoy the hug Rin gave, she stood up and reached out her hand. "Let's go back. Maybe we can get some more sleep."

**The next morning**

"I knew you were coming." Rin happily told Shippo, as she giggled and skipped around.

Shippo, meanwhile, was scowling after his second time losing tag with Rin that morning. Kagome's hand on his should got his attention, and he turned to her kneeling down next to him.

"You can't win every time Shippo," Kagome reminded, a smile on her face. "You one a few times, and Rin worked hard to win a couple of times too."

"I guess..." Shippo trailed off, getting easily distracted with Rin again, as she was making some flowers.

"Hey you two," Kagome said, waving to get their attention again. "Let's start getting ready to go."

"Kagome come over here for a second!" Sango called over, waiting until Kagome got closer to stand up. "So we'll be making it to that village in a couple of hours."

"Yeah, it shouldn't take us that long. We can stay there for a couple of days," Kagome said, a smile growing on her face. "It'd be nice to stay inside at night."

Rin had walked a little farther from the others, as their conversation turned to something that wasn't as interesting to her. Creating a few flowers, she giggled as they surrounded her feet.

"Rin."

Sesshomaru's voice hitting her ears got Rin's attention right away. Her eyes met his, before she skipped over to his side. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru?"

"You left with the Miko last night. Where did you go?" Sesshomaru asked, an eyebrow-raising when Rin was quiet and didn't respond. "Rin."

"I woke up and Kagome wasn't here last night," Rin said, her eyes glancing back across the clearing to Kagome, then back to Sesshomaru. "I went to find her, but we came right back."

Sesshomaru titled his head to the side, his eyes slightly narrowed to Rin at her lack of specifics.

"Kagome couldn't go back to sleep." Rin explained right away. Her voice a bit lower so the others wouldn't hear.

"Do not be concerned." Sesshomaru said, watching Rin nod then return back to the kitsune. His golden eyes landed back on Kagome who seemed preoccupied with watching the kitsune and Rin. With her distracted, he was able to observe her face, and he could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

**A couple of hours later**

Walking down the main road through the village, Kagome had gone off on her own to explore and take a breather from the others for a little bit. Rin and Shippo had been a handful having to keep focused while they were traveling the last few hours, and she needed the break. Turning down another road, she caught sight of white hair, and it had her stop in her tracks. However, it turned out to be one of the villagers.

Releasing the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding, she continued on walking. Now her thoughts on Sesshomaru. _It's been interesting traveling with him over the past few weeks. I know that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru don't really like each other, and their relationship has always been roc__ky. But Sesshomaru… I don't know. I guess I just see a different side of him. I'm sure that has to do with Rin. She __is so sweet that she could melt even the coldest of hearts. I guess-_

"I can't believe they just took Priestess Yuri."

Turning to look over her shoulder, Kagome saw the woman who said that talking to another older woman.

"Yeah, it appears whoever took the priestess is heading South," The older of the two women said. Shrugging as she picked up the bucket of water in front of her. "And you heard the rumor from that village down the river. Their priestess was killed."

The word "killed" made Kagome's heart start to race. Having to pick up her pace to catch up to the others, she had to tune out the voices around her. _What if that feeling I had wasn't just a random thing? __I think something's out there._

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh! It looks like trouble might be brewing in the future. What do you think will happen if they happen to cross paths?**

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	9. Kagome's Mistake

_Review:_

_Turning to look over her shoulder, Kagome saw the woman who said that talking to another older woman._

"_Yeah, it appears whoever took the priestess is heading South," The older of the two woman said. Shrugging as she picked up the bucket of water in front of her. "And you heard the rumor from that village down the river. Their priestess was killed."_

_The word "killed" made Kagome's heart start to race. Having to pick up her pace to catch up to the others, she had to tune out the voices around her. What if that feeling I had wasn't just a random thing? I think something's out there._

* * *

**The next day**

Sesshomaru glided over the treeline that was full of green trees transitioning to their fall colors. The wind not bothering him in the slightest, as his focus was on the feeling of Rin to get him back to the group. The thought had him finally landing on the forest floor, still a good distance away from the others. Last night, he had distanced him away from the others in order to spend time roaming in his true demon form. However, it wasn't out of a desire to do so. It was because of what happened last night.

_Having spent the late evening observing the usual activities of the others as they were winding down for the day, Sesshomaru had settled far enough away to be able to drown out the constant chatter. It wasn't until long after everyone, even Inuyasha, had fallen asleep that he looked back in the direction of the others. His eyes roaming past the fire to see the dark-haired miko. Per usual, the kitsune and Rin on either side of her._

_His focus left the Miko and the children to look back at the fire that was still going strong. The bright orange flames captured him, and he wasn't sure how long he stared. It wasn't until he felt a distressing aura against his own, that he found himself staring back at the miko. With how she was sleeping, he could just barely see her face. Her eyes closed, but her eyebrows furrowed with stress. She was muttering something that even he couldn't hear in her slumber. It was almost similar to the behavior she exhibited while sleeping that week before they had met with her group._

_Reaching his aura out slowly, he was taken off guard when his aura met hers and it seemed to calm hers down. Pulling it away after a moment, he stood up and walked to where Jaken and Ah-Un were. "Jaken."_

_Jaken's eyes opened immediately. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru?"_

"_Keep an eye on Rin." Was all Sesshomaru said, before he walked away. He heard Jaken say something, but at that time his own eyes were turning red to transform to his true demon form._

Pulling himself away from those thoughts, Sesshomaru continued on to return back to the clearing where the others were. Unlike when he left, everyone was awake and the fire was going strong again.

"Good Morning Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin greeted right away, grinning and waving at him from across the clearing.

At Rin's announcement, the others eyes had gone to him, but moved away shortly after. However, Kagome's focus remained. Leaving Sesshomaru with an unsettling feeling as her eyes met his.

Kagome had smiled when their eyes met. "Rin and I were wondering where you went off to… We're going to start traveling in about half an hour or so."

The miko didn't say anything more, as she had tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her focus back on Rin and the kitsune. Sesshomaru walked away to settle in a spot that gave him distance from the others. Although at the sound of Rin's giggling and the miko's own laughter joining, Sesshomaru's eyes found their way back to them. That only lasted a few seconds before he grew irritated with how it had his interest, and he forced himself to look away and drown out the laughter by focusing on the wind that was picking up.

**A half-hour later**

Kagome walked slowly through the forest, her aura spread out, and her eyes taking in the area around her. She had begun a game of hide and seek with Shippo and Rin, as it was becoming a good way to see how well Rin could hide her aura. She had already found out where Rin was, but had remained walking around until she found Shippo. If it weren't for the fact that she had easily found Rin's hiding spot without her aura, she would have had trouble finding her. Rin's aura was pulled all the way in.

It took another couple minutes, but Shippo's bushy tail caught Kagome's attention. She couldn't help but smile and laugh, as she captured him. "Got you."

Shippo giggled when Kagome tickled him, and squirmed around a bit. "Dang it!"

"You were hidden really well Shippo." Kagome praised, leaving out how his tail was the obvious reason he was found.

"Have you found Rin yet?" Shippo asked, having been looking over Kagome's shoulder for the young girl.

"Not yet-" Kagome said, breaking off as she got a good idea. _Maybe Shippo could find her. Since I already saw her, it might be fun for him to find her._ "How about you help me find her?"

"I can't find her…" Shippo trailed off, as he turned looked all around them. "What if she went too far away?"

"Or maybe she's just doing a really good job hiding her aura," Kagome suggested, before setting Shippo down on the ground. "Let's go find her."

It took almost five minutes of looking, before Shippo came to a stop and scowled. "Kagome, I can't find her."

Kagome hummed before pointing to her nose. "How about you try using other ways to look for her?"

Tilting his head to the side, Shippo's nose twitched as he began to try to sniff around. Not even a minute later, he took off in a run and found Rin's hiding spot. A big grin on his face after he cheered. "We got you!"

"Yay!" Rin exclaimed, giggling along with Shippo as she jumped up from her hiding spot.

"I'm proud of both of you. Rin you hid your aura very well, and Shippo you did a great job of finding her." Kagome praised, although found herself distracted at the feeling of Sesshomaru's aura brushing up against hers from a distance.

Sesshomaru had appeared after he had made eye contact with Kagome from a distance. The children seemingly distracted, as he came to a stop in front of her. "It is time to leave."

"I thought so," Kagome said, whistling for the kids attention. "Come on you two! It's time to leave!"

As the kids approached, Shippo was scowling. "Dang it! Already?"

"Can't we play just a little while longer?" Rin asked, her eyes sparkling as she gave Kagome a big smile. "Just a little while longer."

Kagome couldn't help but smile back at Rin, even though she could tell what the little girl was doing. "If we have enough time the next time we stop."

"Okay." Shippo finally agreed for them, although they both held disappointed looks.

"You two hurry along and meet up with the others," Kagome encouraged, shuffling them along and smiling as the two disappeared in the forest to head towards the others. Her eyes landed back on Sesshomaru. "I'm excited to start traveling to get back to Kaede's village. I somehow managed to get some good sleep last night. I think I might have had a nightmare, but I barely remember it. I don't even think I really woke up."

At her mentioning the night before, Sesshomaru was brought back to the moment where his aura meeting hers seemed to be what settled her down. Quickly brushing the thought away, he opted for a change in subject. "You'll be returning to your home then."

Kagome nodded, and smiled at the thought. "Of course, I'll want to spend some time in Kaede's village with you all, but I do miss my family in my own time."

"How long?"

"Uh… I don't know yet. A few days, a week. It just kind of depends," Kagome said, keeping Sesshomaru's eyes for a moment, before she felt like she should look away. "What about you? Do you want to go back to your castle?"

Sesshomaru waited for her eyes to return back to his. "It is a possibility."

"Well, you should if you want to. You could bring Rin too… Of course, I'm not trying to say what you should do. You can do whatever you want to." Kagome said, laughing a little, before she noticed a fallen leaf had entangled itself in Sesshomaru's hair. Without a second thought, she reached over to remove it, her hand brushing his arm lightly.

As if she had burned him, Sesshomaru pulled his arm away immediately. His golden eyes narrowed at hers, before he disappeared in seconds.

Kagome's eyes widened at his sudden action. _He just… Disappeared. What just happened?_

"Hey Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice hit her ears, and he appeared motioning for her to come over. "Are we ready to go or not?"

Kagome didn't respond at first. Her eyes glued to the treeline where Sesshomaru had gone through and disappeared. She could still feel his aura, but he was a bit farther away.

"Kagome?"

Miroku's voice shook Kagome out of her thoughts, and she went over to Inuyasha. "Yeah, we're ready to go."

They got started traveling. They were quiet for a few minutes, Inuyasha's eyes darted to his side. Looking out into the forest, his eyes narrowed. "Why is Sesshomaru so far away?"

Kagome was quiet at first. Her eyes glancing over in the same direction Inuyasha was looking, before focusing back forward. "I don't know."

"You were just with him right before we left-"

"I said I don't know," Kagome interrupted him quickly, then she sighed. "Why do you care?"

"I don't care," was Inuyasha's immediate reply, as his eyes focused back forward. "I was just saying. Why do you seem like your in a mood?"

Kagome sighed and let her head chin rest on his shoulder. "Sorry, I don't know what's come over me."

"Well, maybe you need to get some sleep. I'll steady out a bit so it won't be as bumpy for you." Inuyasha offered, as he moved to adjust for her.

"Thank you..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes going back to the direction Sesshomaru was in. _What just happened with Sesshomaru?_

**Later that evening**

They had stopped to make camp, and they were about to go take a quick bath in the river before the sun went down all the way. Kagome hesitated as they got up to go, and she smiled at Rin and Shippo. "You two go ahead with Sango. I'll catch up in a minute."

"Okay." Both Rin and Shippo chorused as they went along with Sango.

As soon as they were gone, it left just Kagome and Sesshomaru in the clearing, as the others were out to get something for dinner. She turned almost immediately to Sesshomaru, and took a few steps his way. "Sesshomaru-"

Before she could say anything more, the Demon Lord of the West had disappeared immediately.

"Sesshomaru! Wait!" Kagome called, but he was already far away. Sighing heavily, she scratched her head, then turned to go after Sango and the children. _I'm so confused. He's ignoring me because of what? __Of what happened earlier?__ I touched his arm. Nothing more._

She had finally met up with the others in time to see Sango's focus on Rin. "Rin, be careful getting into the water here. Some of the rocks are slippery, and it's only shallow on this side of the river."

"I'm being careful." Rin replied back to Sango, after managing to slip a little on one of the rocks.

Once Rin was settled, Sango's eyes met Kagome's. "What took you so long?"

"I wasn't that far behind you." Kagome said, starting to remove her clothes and weapons. She glanced down a bit farther in the stream where she knew Shippo was bathing to get a little privacy from them.

"I guess," Sango said, moving over to the other side of the river as Kagome got in as well. She studied Kagome's expression for a moment, then tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course I am okay..." Kagome trailed off, an eyebrow raised at Sango's look of concern. "Why do you ask?"

Sango shrugged and looked away from her. "I don't know. You seem off this evening. You were fine this morning."

Kagome shrugged, and tried to rack her brain for an excuse. Coming up with nothing, she sighed. "I really don't know. Maybe it's just this time of year. The weather has been weird. Some days are really cold, and others are pretty moderate almost warm weather… Or maybe I'm just missing home. We haven't been home in a few weeks."

"I can definitely relate to that. I miss Kohaku. It's great that he's been working in the village with Kaede. Ever since we got him from Naraku, I think the regular routine helps, but it is still hard not to see him," Sango said with a sigh. However, she was quick to turn it around with a smile. "We just need to cheer up. We can go back home in a week or two. I can't do anything about the weather, but at least it isn't raining or snowing."

Sango's cheerful attitude finally made Kagome smile. "I guess that's true. Staying positive is all we can do. That or Inuyasha and I will have to separate soon, or I might lose my mind."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Sango agreed with a laugh.

Sango's attention had been grabbed by Rin who was asking about a flower they were passing. With the others distracted, Kagome's eyes glanced up at the sky. _I just don't understand Sesshomaru. We were all good for a while. I honestly felt like we were becoming friends, then in a blink of an eye he doesn't want anything to do with me… I just don't get it._

**A few hours later**

Sesshomaru's eyes returned back to gold from red, as he had transformed back from his true demon form. His heart still racing from the experience. After a few minutes, he was fully calm again, and had started his walk back to the group. Night had fallen a couple of hours ago, and by now the others would have fallen asleep. Which was what he had been waiting for, so he could return back to silence.

It wasn't until he returned back to the clearing that he realized that despite the silence, the unsettling feeling inside of him did not disappear. Remaining at the edge of the clearing, Sesshomaru found his eyes landing on Kagome. The miko was sleeping, per usual, with Rin and Shippo on either side of her. The glowing fire, lighting up the side of her face that he could see. His eyes trailed downward to land on the part of his arm she had touched earlier, and he swore it still felt like it was on fire from the contact. It was the realization that she had felt comfortable enough to do such a thing that was bothersome. _I can not fathom what possessed the miko to do that._

**A couple of days later**

The path ahead of them seemed never-ending, and Kagome's vision blurred the distance out as she found herself lost in thought. Her mind racing around the demon lord that traveled with them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him and what happened a couple days ago. Ever since then, he hasn't said a word to her, and won't let her say anything to him. He disappears every time she has tried.

A tapping on her arm got Kagome's attention, and she looked down to see Rin walking beside her. She offered the young girl a smile. "What is it Rin?"

"Are you okay?"

Rin's question had taken Kagome slightly off guard, but she was quick to smile and wave it off. "Oh yes, of course I am. I have just been busy thinking."

Curiously, Rin's head titled to the side. "Thinking?"

"Yes," Kagome said, taking a deep breath and looking back to Rin. "I'm taking in the world around me. It makes me feel good."

Rin nodded almost immediately. "Oh, I will do it too then."

Kagome smiled as she watched Rin skip back over to Shippo, and the two went into whispering and giggling with one another. _I love how they've become friends. It's going to be difficult once Sesshomaru decides that Rin's had enough training… _The thought of Sesshomaru had her eyes sliding over in his direction. He had been distant, but he was at least in sight of them now. _I just don't get it where I went wrong. I thought we were becoming friends… Maybe it was something I did. Maybe I was just getting too comfortable. Sesshomaru doesn't really seem like someone who wants friends, and just because I do doesn't mean that I can force friendship with him. I really don't know..._

The wind picked up a little, and some strands of her hair started flying. Lifting her chin a little, she was able to take in the relaxing wind. In a blink of the eye, it was like she was hit with a brick wall. A darkening feeling made her stumble a little and gasp.

"Kagome, what is it?" Sango asked, having had to stop to avoid Kagome who had stopped abruptly. A hand resting on her tiny baby bump.

Inuyasha appeared at Kagome's side, as he watched Kagome's expression change to one of uncertainty. He was able to see the look of distress in her eyes. "Kagome?"

"Demons." Kagome mumbled, having been hoping they were going to go away like they had before, but they were coming on strong now.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, having searched with his eyes and aura. "We're the only ones around here for miles."

Kagome continued to feel the demons auras, almost as if they were calling out to her, and it began to start to click in her mind. "They're doing it on purpose. Reaching out to me alone. With this kind of demon-"

"Kagome," Rin interrupted, her hands on either side of her head, as she moved to the older priestess. "Something doesn't feel good. It won't go away. I don't like it."

"I know Rin. It'll be okay," Kagome said to try to calm the fear Rin was starting to show. "They must have hit my aura first, before hitting Rin's. Mine is farther out."

"How can Rin sense them too?" Shippo asked, a little confused.

"Because they're calling out to us..." Kagome said explained, shuffling Rin and Shippo towards Sango. "Sango-"

"I'll keep them safe." Sango interrupted, giving Kagome a nod, a frown growing on her face. She had come to accept over the passing weeks that she wasn't able to be as involved in the action like she normally would. A sacrifice she was happy to make in order to keep her unborn child safe, but it was still hard seeing her friends go off to fight without her.

"Come on, let's go," Kagome said to the others, going straight to Inuyasha to climb on his back, as she pointed ahead of them. "Go that way."

Miroku jumped on Kilala after giving a nod to Sango. Sesshomaru followed shortly after telling Jaken to stay with Rin and Ah-Un when he complained.

It didn't take long for them to slowly get farther and farther away from one another, as they fought. Kagome had been doing well on her own, but found herself distracted when she caught sight of something coming through the trees. "Fog! There's fog!"

Miroku, who was the closest to her, had apparently noticed it as well. "This will make things more difficult!"

"Don't worry. I got this for us," Inuyasha replied, sending out his windscar. Letting his tessaiga rest lightly on the ground, some of the fog cleared like he thought, but it returned shortly after. "Damn."

Kagome, meanwhile, was not having as much problem with the fog. Unlike the last time she came across a fog demon, she was much quicker in her actions. Taking a couple of demons down with ease made her think back to her training a couple of months ago with Koga. Although, an image of Sesshomaru popped up in her head causing her to falter in her current fight with one of the demons. The demon had managed to get behind her, and she just barely turned when she noticed a poison whip had taken the demon down.

Sesshomaru appearing close enough to see through the fog. His eyes on her, as the poison from his claws stopped dripping.

Scowling at his interference, Kagome walked right past him. "I could have got it!"

The next person Kagome came across was Inuyasha, and he had taken down a demon right next to the one she had taken down. He moved closer to her. "You're doing well Kagome."

Scowling as that reminded of what Sesshomaru just did, Kagome turned so her back was towards him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean in it a bad way," Inuyasha said, knowing by her tone that she was annoyed. "I mean, Miroku even had to get up above the fog on Kilala to be able to fight. You're just doing a great job."

"Thanks," Kagome managed to say before they got separated again. Fortunately for her, her strengthened senses finally had her pointed to where the fog was likely coming from. Realizing Inuyasha was near her again, she smiled at the good timing. "Inuyasha! Send your windscar North when I say go okay?!"

"Okay!" Inuyasha shouted back, trusting her choice without hesitation.

Kagome's eyes focused in on the fog to pinpoint the right location, and she was finally able to get an idea. "Okay now!"

Inuyasha windscar started up, and he sent it off. Giving her just enough visibility to shoot an arrow right into the demon that was giving off the fog. The purified arrow took over the demon, and soon enough the fog was lifting.

"Way to go Kagome and Inuyasha!" Miroku called, as he was able to return to the ground.

Kagome didn't have much time to celebrate, as she realized the demons were getting a little too close to the area where Sango, the kids, and Jaken and Ah-Un were. She pulled an arrow and managed to take down one of the demons to give the others enough time to get on Ah-Un to go to a different location.

Sango throwing out her Hiraikotsu to take some of the demons out for them, and giving a nod to Miroku who was on Kilala.

From down on the ground, Kagome could see the others leaving, and she noticed some demons take an interest. However, she was quick to take them down. One with her bow, and the other with her knife. She jogged over to collect it, and turned back in time for Inuyasha coming back to her. "We need to hurry this up. The demons could go after them."

"I don't know," Miroku said, having flown over them before landing with Kilala. "They seem more interested in you actually."

"Let's just finish this!" Kagome called back, trying not to think about that right now.

**A half-hour later**

Sango could see the worry and fear going across Rin and Shippo's features. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I should be with Sesshomaru. Helping him fight those demons," Jaken said, scowling as he turned back to the others. "Instead I'm here babysitting the annoying children and the whiny wench-"

"You're not helpful!" Sango interrupted, her eyes glaring as she propped a hand on her hip.

Before Jaken could say anything, Sesshomaru broke through the treeline. All her worries gone, Rin jumped off of Ah-Un's saddle, and ran right over to Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru. You're okay!"

Sesshomaru's eyes fell briefly to see Rin's eyes shining and her big smile. He rested his hand on the top of her head for a moment, before the others came from the forest as well.

"Kagome!" Shippo called, taking off full speed to jump up into her arms.

"I'm fine too guys." Inuyasha said at Shippo's over-dramatics, and as Sango going straight for Miroku. At the lack of the usual response from Kagome at him being dramatic, his eyes landed on her to find a strange look on her face.

Rin had gone right to Kagome from Sesshomaru, and she wrapped her arms around Kagome's legs. "Are you okay?"

Kagome gave a nod, but kept her eyes on the ground. "I'm okay."

After it seemed everyone was all okay, Inuyasha was the first to look back in the direction of where all the demons had been. "Okay, are we going to talk about how weird that was? Only Kagome and Rin could sense those demons. Kagome said it was like they were calling out to her. Why Kagome and not anyone else?"

"Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken stared, having only got to witness some of the fighting. "Those demons are just like the ones we encountered on the day we first met with the priestess towards the first part of Fall."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes darting from Jaken to Sesshomaru, then landing on Kagome. "You've encountered these demons before?"

Kagome was quiet for a moment, before she finally sighed. "They were like the ones that tried to go after Rin on that day I discovered her spiritual energy-"

"You mean the demons that almost killed you?!" Inuyasha interrupted, his eyes narrowed, and at her lack of response he reached over to tap her shoulder. "Kagome?"

"You were right," Rin spoke up before Kagome could say anything, one hand togging Kagome's sleeve, and the other twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Those demons were nearby."

All eyes went to Kagome then, Miroku motioning from Rin to Kagome. "What is she talking about Kagome?"

His question was met with silence, as Kagome's eyes were glossed over. Despite Sango adding an additional question of what was going on, Kagome's silence remained. Unlike the others, Inuyasha's patience started running thin. "Kagome! What in the hell is going on?"

"It's just that, a few days ago I thought I might have possibly sensed them," Kagome explained hurriedly, before waving her hands. "I wasn't sure though, because it just showed up for like a second-"

"You knew about this a few days ago and didn't say anything!" Inuyasha interrupted her, his eyes wide with surprise at first, but filled with anger at Kagome's lack of immediate response.

"Inuyasha, I just happened to have a feeling that I didn't really know for sure meant anything..." Kagome started, but trailed off as she remembered what she overheard in one of the villages they passed through. "Although, I might have overheard some rumors about priestesses being taken away while we were visiting one of the villages-"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed at the same time as Shippo said, "Really?"

"Kagome," Sango started, in a much softer tone than Inuyasha used. Her eyes soft, but her disapproving frown filled her face. "This is kind of serious. You should have said something when you heard that."

"I was going to but I just-"

"Weren't thinking," Inuyasha interrupted, his arms crossed. "How could you not tell us? How could you be so stupid?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at him calling her stupid. "Inuyasha, it doesn't make a difference now, because they are dead."

"It still matters Kagome! There are obviously more of them out there, and they could come after you-"

"That could happen to any of us at any time," Kagome interrupted him this time, as she scowled. "In case you forgot, you have your fair share of enemies too Inuyasha!"

"That's not the point!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pointing right in Rin's direction. "It's not just you that you put at risk here!"

"I already feel bad enough, but thanks for pointing it out..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes dropping down to the ground, as she got a sickening feeling in her stomach. After a moment, she turned away from the others. "There is a village nearby that you could stay the night at. You can stay there as long as you like, or return back to Kaede's village in the morning. You'd still make it on time like we originally planned."

With that said, Kagome walked off in the opposite direction. Sango knew exactly where this was going. "Kagome! Come back!"

Miroku brought his hand to his face and sighed deeply. "Not again."

"Go with Kagome Kilala," Sango said, setting the two-tailed demon cat down after having given her some attention. Waiting until after she couldn't see Kilala anymore, Sango turned on Inuyasha. "You shouldn't have brought up Rin."

At Sango's disapproving frown, Inuyasha's anger only seem to rise. "Oh, so it's okay that Kagome withheld important information from all of us?"

"Are you actually blind?!" Sango snapped back at him, her eyes glaring. "Did you completely miss the look on her face? She already knows she made a mistake Inuyasha, and you yelling at her didn't help!"

Miroku could see that their fighting was starting to get Rin upset, and he was quick to step between the two. "Enough. This isn't the time or place to be having this conversation. We'll go to the village nearby to stay the night, then we can figure out what we are going to do tomorrow."

"Fine," Inuyasha agreed, slipping his hands into his sleeves to cross his arms. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Not without Kagome!" Shippo exclaimed, his eyes narrowing at Inuyasha.

Annoyed with Shippo's look he was giving him, Inuyasha glared right back at him. "Why don't you just go off on your own, like a moron, and go find her yourself?"

"Inuyasha!" Sango cut in before Shippo and Inuyasha could start squabbling.

"I'm sorry, what are you yelling at me for?! Am I the only one bothered that Kagome just intentionally put herself in danger?!" Inuyasha shouted back at Sango. Spinning on his heel, he stalked off in the direction of the nearby village.

After a moment of awkward silence, Miroku cleared his throat. "We should go."

"Hey," Sango started, getting down to Rin's eye level, as she offered the young girl a smile. "I know a lot of scary stuff just happened, but everything is going to be okay. Kagome will be okay. She's strong. You know that better than anyone, as she's been teaching you. She's just a little upset right now, and we need to give her some time, okay?"

Pulling at the ends of her hair, Rin's eyes remained glued to where Kagome had disappeared to. It took a moment, but her eyes finally fell to the ground. "Is she going to come back?"

"Yes, she will when she is ready," Sango replied, offering a smile when Rin glanced up to her. "Come on. Let's get to the village before sundown."

**A half-hour later, out in the forest**

Sesshomaru flew past the river, before continuing on over the trees. Almost as soon as he got the opportunity, he had taken off from the others. He had come to abrupt after another few minutes, his eyes going from gold to red, then back to gold again. Increasingly agitated at the lack of finding the miko's aura anywhere. He had followed her scent trail to a point, until it disappeared. He assumed she had taken off on the two-tailed cat at that point. This ultimately led him to rely only on aura, and it was nowhere to be found.

Realizing it was futile to continue on, he turned to go back to the group. After managing to calm the part of him that was ready to transform with his anger, he began to reflect back on everything that happened. One moment in particular while in the midst of fighting. She had given him a glare after he took down a demon that was about to get her, and she snapped at him before storming away. He couldn't understand why he kept thinking about that moment, but it kept on playing over and over.

**A few hours later**

Hearing the distant howl of wolves, Kagome sighed as she took in the familiar atmosphere of where Koga's den was. She had just finished catching Ayame up on the events of what happened, and re-living it certainly didn't make her feel any better. "It's just all my fault."

"You might be over-reacting here Kagome." Ayame said, having listened patiently through Kagome's telling of what happened, but she thought it didn't sound that bad. If anything, Kagome was putting more pressure on herself.

"I don't think so," Kagome said, taking a shaky breath as she almost felt herself start to cry. But she was able to successfully calm the tears down. "It's my fault. It's not anyone else's."

"Hey, it isn't your fault that those demons attacked." Ayame said, having been able to see that was where Kagome was getting at.

"Why wouldn't it be my fault?" Kagome countered, the events leading up to the attack going around and around in her head. "There were so many moments where I could have prevented this. I had a bad feeling. I should have said something to my friends, and I just… I didn't. Then everything went into chaos. Inuyasha got so mad at me when he found out I knew something but didn't say anything."

Ayame was quiet for a moment, before she shrugged. "I don't know. I think they would have attacked either way. Yeah, I'm sure Inuyasha was angry, but that's not unreasonable. Just say that you're sorry, and will make an effort to tell them if something feels weird in the future."

"I guess… But I just can't get past it. This feeling of guilt is eating at me," Kagome admitted, feeling a little sick to her stomach just talking about it. "Rin felt those demons too. They were calling out for her too. She was in just as much danger as I was, and the attack could have been much worse… I don't think I could live with myself if they got to her."

A commotion started up with some of the other pack members. Only to find out it was due to Koga and some of the other members returning from a hunt. Ayame, meanwhile, was still focused on Kagome. "The important thing is that you recognize what happened. You'll make different decisions next time."

"Yeah I guess." Kagome sighed, looking over her shoulder when she heard the familiar laughter of Koga.

Koga's eyes landed on Kagome and Ayame, and he dropped the hog they had brought back from hunting. "Hey Kagome. What's up?"

Kagome shrugged and frowned at the thought of everything circled around her head again. "I was in the area."

"I thought you'd be back home, or at least still up North." Koga said, stopping by Ayame, with his eyes on Kagome.

"Yeah well, we decided to travel East a bit… How big of a mistake that was..." Kagome trailed off with a long, disappointed sigh.

Koga raised an eyebrow at that, before scratching his head. "What was a mistake?"

"I was actually coming here to talk to you," Kagome explained, then she motioned to Ayame. "However, Ayame has been very helpful, so it's okay. You can go."

"What?" Koga asked, scratching his head again, as Ayame laughed.

Kagome smiled and waved off his question. "It's a long story. One I can fill you in on shortly after I finish talking to Ayame."

**Later that night, Sesshomaru's POV**

The others had fallen asleep in the building they were sleeping in for the night. Inuyasha being the last of which, as he spent a good bit of time pacing back and forth until the demon slayer told him to get some sleep because he wasn't helping. It had become clear to Sesshomaru that despite Inuyasha's anger towards the miko, he was still concerned for her well-being. Which all of the others in the group seemed to know despite not having voiced it out loud.

His thoughts went away from Inuyasha, as his eyes swept the forest line in the direction Kagome was last seen. When he realized he had been searching for her aura again, he scowled with annoyance. The fact that he had even bothered to look was beneath him. _She's skipping her training Rin, and that was what we were here for._ Despite him telling himself that, he found his eyes back on the forest. Realizing what was happening started an unsettling feeling inside of him, as the thought of the missing miko seemed to refuse to disappear.

**Outside the Wolf Den**

Kagome had gone outside for some air after having spent the last few hours distracted by all of Koga's tribe members. She had to put on her extra jacket as it was a bit colder that night than it had been so far that Fall. With Kilala curled up in her lap she felt a little bit more warmth as well. Thinking back to her conversations with Ayame and Koga. They did make her feel a little bit better, but once she was on her own it was different. _I can't help but shake this… nauseating feeling of what could have ended up happening. __Sure everything ended up fine, but there are so many things that could have gone wrong… I put Rin in danger. Then Inuyasha… _She knew that Inuyasha was angry, but what he said to her was a lot. She was an idiot for doing what she did. At least she felt like one. Reaching up to her cheek when she felt a tear escape, she had to take a deep breath to try to control it. _What can I do now?_

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**A/N: A lot of drama has happened in this chapter. First a weird moment happens leaving Sesshomaru not speaking to Kagome, then they run into trouble with some of the same demons they fought the day that Kagome ran into Sesshomaru and his group back in the beginning of the story. Now Kagome's gone off, and the group is left in the midst of anger and uncertainty. What do you think will happen? Will Kagome be able to return to her friends and work everything out? What about her situation with Sesshomaru?**

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	10. Returning Home

_Review:_

_Kagome had gone outside for some air after having spent the last few hours distracted by all of Koga's tribe members. She had to put on her extra jacket as it was a bit colder that night than it had been so far that Fall. With Kilala curled up in her lap she felt a little bit more warmth as well. Thinking back to her conversations with Ayame and Koga. They did make her feel a little bit better, but once she was on her own it was different. __I can't help but shake this… nauseating feeling of what could have ended up happening. Sure everything ended up fine, but there are so many things that could have gone wrong… I put Rin in danger. Then Inuyasha…__ She knew that Inuyasha was angry, but what he said to her was a lot. She was an idiot for doing what she did. At least she felt like one. Reaching up to her cheek when she felt a tear escape, she had to take a deep breath to try to control it. __What can I do now?_

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**A couple of days later**

"So Kagome," Koga started, as he walked with her out of the wolf den. "You'll be going back then?"

Kagome had pet Kilala who was in her arms, and offered Koga a small smile. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Koga's usual smirk showed up on his face. "It's not that. You can stay as long as you want to… I'm just saying that you can't hide here forever."

"I know that," Kagome sighed heavily, although a small smile appeared on her face as they stopped. "You're supposed to be my friend that encourages me to go on the run."

"I can be that friend if you need me to be," Koga said with a grin, although it soon settled to a smaller smile. "Although, you and I both know that it is time for you to go back… If anything for Shippo, and that girl."

Kagome frowned, as her eyes went to the direction she would be heading off to. "Yeah… They could have not even stayed in that village. I pissed Inuyasha off bad. They may have already traveled back to Kaede's village."

Koga was quiet for a moment, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "There's no way dogface would leave without you. No matter how mad he is."

"I guess I'll see… Let's go Kilala," Kagome said, standing up and swiping some dirt off her clothing. As Kilala transformed to her larger size, Kagome offered a hug to both Koga and Ayame, who had walked over. "Thank you both of you for letting me hide out her for the past couple of days."

"Of course," Koga said, crossing his arms, as he watched Kagome get on Kilala. "You know that you're welcome here anytime."

As Kilala took off, Ayame waved at Kagome as they went upward. "Bye Kagome!"

Kagome waved back at them, before focusing back forward. The wind starting to pick up as Kilala started to go faster. _I don't know what to expect when we go back. For all I know, they could have already left to go back to Kaede's village..._

**A few hours later**

Sesshomaru's golden eyes were focused up on the sky. The clouds seem to drag along today, and they weren't bringing the calm they usually did. He was finding himself increasingly distracted by the conversation from the others.

"How about we find something fun to do?" Sango was suggesting to Rin and Shippo, who both were uncharacteristically still and quiet. "How about a game of hide and seek?"

"I don't feel like it," Rin said, just after Shippo had said, "No thanks."

Trying to keep an encouraging smile on her face, Sango knelt to their eye level. "Come on you two. I know you love that game. You play it all the time."

It was quiet for a moment, before Shippo sat down with a sigh. "It's not the same."

Nothing had to be said as to why it wasn't the same. Sesshomaru could see the looks on the demon slayer and monk's faces. Inuyasha, despite trying to appear distant, seemed to be displeased by the conversations that came up around miko's disappearance. She hadn't been seen since she left the day before yesterday, and it was much quieter than usual. Trying to push away the thought of the miko, he finally managed peace of mind, but was soon dragged back to reality with one word from Rin.

"Kagome!" Rin's exclamation got their attention, as the young girl was pointing up to the sky where Kagome and Kilala were coming from. Once on the ground, Kagome hopped off Kilala, who transformed back to her smaller size on her way to greet Sango.

Both Shippo and Rin had taken off to Kagome. Shippo arriving first, and he had jumped right up into her arms. Nuzzling his face into her neck for comfort. "I missed you so much!"

Kagome was quiet, as her eyes fell to Rin, who had wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested a hand down on the top of Rin's head, and stroked her hair back a little. When Rin had looked up at her, Kagome offered her a small smile. Without saying anything, she allowed Rin to take her hand, and she started in the direction of the others.

Once Kagome was closer, Inuyasha sniffed the air and scowled. "You smell like that mangy wolf-"

"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted, but didn't follow up with the expected "sit" command. Instead, she sighed and kept her eyes forward. Afraid that if she looked at any of them, she'd not be able to keep up the strong appearance she was trying to give. "I apologize for travel being delayed. We would have arrived at Kaede's village yesterday otherwise."

It was quiet at first, before Miroku was the one to clear his throat to break the silence. "It is not that big of a deal."

"Okay then… We'll be arriving at Kaede's village tomorrow afternoon then. Let's go." Kagome declared, starting forward without saying another word.

While Rin and Shippo both didn't seem to hesitate to go along with Kagome, Sango held back only to turn on Inuyasha. "Don't push her Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, before he glared. "I barely said anything to her."

"Well, leave it to you to say something that makes her disappear again for another few days." Sango shot back, her temper rising.

"Tch," Inuyasha scowled, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're being over-dramatic and cranky."

Miroku quickly stepped in-between the two, as he could see the fire start up in Sango's eyes with her anger towards Inuyasha. "Alright, how about we just try to keep calm here."

While the squabbling continued with Sango and Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's eyes followed Kagome as she walked away. Her posture more tense than usual, and she didn't seem at all like herself. Her aura was pulled in and reserved, and it didn't settle well for some reason.

**Later that evening**

"We're going to stop and set up here for the night." Kagome said once they reached a decent sized clearing.

Inuyasha's grumbling started up almost immediately. "The sun hasn't even started to set yet."

"I see Inuyasha's point," Miroku said, having been looking up at the sky. "We don't usually set up camp this early. We could probably travel an extra hour-"

"We're doing something different today!" Kagome snapped, interrupting Miroku before she stalked off into the forest.

Inuyasha scowled in the direction she left in. "You better not be going off somewhere and disappearing for another couple of days again-"

"Sit!"

Inuyasha's body was dragged downwards, before slamming into the ground.

Sango rolled her eyes at Inuyasha's grumbling. "You're really dense Inuyasha."

Pulling himself up from the ground, Inuyasha glared. "She just caused me harm for no reason!"

"She's obviously in a mood, and you provoked her anyways!" Sango snapped back at him, her eyes glaring.

At the glares being sent back and forth, Miroku sighed with dread. "I can't take you two arguing anymore. It's getting to be worse than when Inuyasha and Kagome argue."

"Yeah well, who's the common problem there?" Sango countered, her glare growing at Inuyasha, who had growled at her.

A half-hour later, Kagome only returned for a moment. Her eyes on Rin, who had looked over at her return. "Rin. Come along."

Without hesitation, the young girl was up and running a little to get to Kagome quicker. Twisting a strand of her hair around her finger, her eyes flickering between watching the ground to avoid tree roots and watching Kagome. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to get a little training session in while it is still light out." Kagome explained, guiding Rin into a good-sized clearing to sit in the middle across from one another. The familiar sense of Sesshomaru became apparent, as he was posted in the shadows in the trees. His aura glided against her own, and she pulled it in a little in order not to feel his. Annoyance started to bubble inside of her. _He ignored me for days, but he still just gets to come around whenever he wants to… Well I can ignore him too then._

"What's first?"

Rin's question pulled Kagome away from her thoughts, and she offered the young girl a smile. "We'll review the things you already know."

"Can we do something fun afterward?" Rin asked, a big smile grew on her face when Kagome finally nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, I can do this real fast."

"Let's just take our time here..." Kagome said, before beginning to guide her through their usual training routine. Expanding and bringing in her aura to conceal it. Moving her priestess power to her hands, then using her purification power and putting it away. They didn't get to the second round of purification power practice, when Kagome had to stop and look away from the young girl.

As soon as she felt Kagome's support disappear, Rin pulled the purification power in immediately. She tilted her head to the side when Kagome wouldn't look back at her. "Why did you stop?"

Kagome had to take a moment, before she could at least face Rin's direction. However, she couldn't let herself meet her eyes. "I'm sorry Rin."

"For what?" Rin asked, still just as confused. "I don't understand."

"You'll understand one day," Kagome said, finally meeting Rin's eyes briefly, only to realize that stirred her feelings even more. "When those demons attacked us a few days ago, it could have gone differently. We were lucky that it ended the way it did. I was lucky. Because it was my fault that we ended up in that position, because I wasn't as honest as I should have been… I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

Rin's eyes widened a little when she noticed a tear start down Kagome's cheek. Without hesitation, she uncrossed her legs, and stood up to wrap her arms around Kagome. Her barely taller than Kagome while she was sitting down. "Don't be sad. It's okay."

Unable to help but smile a little at Rin's attempt to comfort her, Kagome accepted the hug. "You know, I'm supposed to be the one to take care of you, and tell you everything is going to be okay."

"I don't want you to be sad," Rin said, pulling back from the hug to meet Kagome's eyes. "I want you to be happy."

"I'm trying. I thought it'd be a little easier after taking some time for myself, but it's not seeming to work out that way..." Kagome trailed off, finally pulling back from the hug to wipe her eyes to try to keep anymore tears from falling. She offered Rin a smile, before she settled back to a more serious expression. "Rin, I want to make sure that you are remembering what I'm teaching you. You need to be ready if you are put in a situation where you need to use those powers to defend yourself."

Her words seemed to worry Rin, as she tapped her fingers together. "But Lord Sesshomaru is going to protect me. You're going to protect me too right?"

"Of course we are going to protect you Rin," Kagome said to quickly reassure her. "It'll just make me feel better knowing that if for some reason you were by yourself that you could protect yourself."

That seemed to encourage Rin enough to give a firm nod. "I can do it."

Despite her saying so, Kagome could tell there was an uneasy look in the younger girl's eyes. Putting a smile on her face, she used her power to create a few flowers. "How about we make some flowers?"

Like a light switched, Rin jumped up. Giggling as her own flowers start up, as she started running around to spread them everywhere.

Unable to help but smile at how quickly Rin was able to be cheered up again, Kagome's eyes followed the younger girl to watch her dance around. _I worry about Rin. She's just barely able to grasp onto the concept of using these powers, and she's having to learn the consequences of these powers at such a young age…_

Fifteen minutes went by, before Kagome had to call their small training session to a close. The sun was almost down, and she'd at least like to be back with the others before it was all the way dark. "Maybe once we get back, we can see if Sango and Shippo want to go take a bath."

"Okay," Rin agreed cheerfully, skipping over to Kagome to start their walk back to the others. Recognizing a familiar aura, she smiled as they walked past the golden-eyed demon lord. "Lord Sesshomaru."

Unlike Rin, Kagome gave no acknowledgment to Sesshomaru as they passed, and kept her focus forward. It wasn't more than a few minutes later that they were walking along with Sango and Shippo to the river nearby. Rin and Shippo skipping ahead of them.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sango's question pulled Kagome away from the thoughts spinning around in her head. She gave a shrug after a moment. "I know I screwed up. I should have mentioned what I heard about those priestesses sooner."

"I mean you did mention to me that something didn't feel right. I could have pushed more on that. It's not just on you Kagome," Sango said, trying to make Kagome feel a little better, but she could tell by Kagome's look that it wasn't helping. "Look, I'm not saying it was okay that you didn't tell us. Just… go easy on yourself. Everything ended up alright. No one got hurt."

"Even so, if something had happened-"

"Nothing did," Sango interrupted her quickly, knowing that Kagome could easily spiral and end up disappearing again for a few days. "You have to focus on that. Nothing happened and everyone ended up okay."

Kagome sighed heavily. "That's what Koga and Ayame kept telling me. But that is a lot easier said than done."

"Well just keep reminding yourself that, and maybe that help make it a little easier," Sango suggested, noticing that didn't seem to make Kagome appear any happier. "And don't worry about Inuyasha. He just doesn't handle things well."

That finally seemed to get some reaction from Kagome, as the corners of her mouth turned upward ever so slightly. "I've realized that."

"Yeah, he'll be fine. It is just over the past few days, something just seemed off in our group's dynamic. I think it'll get back to normal now that you're back."

Kagome chuckled, as she could very well imagine what went on while she was gone. "After everything that happened, I'm sure Inuyasha being angry with me put a damper on things for everyone. And by "everyone" I am including everyone in the entire village that you guys were staying in."

"That's not it," Sango said, as they finally reached the river and started to undress. "I can't put my finger on it, but something else just seems weird. I feel like there's tension."

The image of Sesshomaru crossed Kagome's mind, but she had to quickly shake her head to get rid of it. "Like I said, it's probably just because of what happened. There is no tension other than Inuyasha and I, and we'll get it straightened out eventually."

Despite Kagome's insistence, Sango shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just extra sensitive because I'm pregnant… But I guess you're right. I'm probably just imagining things."

**Later that night**

Sesshomaru's golden eyes had been focused up on the night sky for a long while. Having been trying to avoid listening to the commotion between the others as they settled down for the night. It wasn't until he knew the others had gone to sleep that his eyes finally moved in that direction. Landing first on the fire, then beyond that to see the miko. He realized that she was the last to be awake, as her eyes were open, and she was looking up at the sky.

It seemed that she had realized he was looking, as she turned her head away from him. Raising an eyebrow, he stretched his aura out to meet hers for the first time in days, and found she was quick to pull hers away and inward. The rejection was enough to bring a frown to his face, as something inside of him stirred. It was an uneasy feeling that he hadn't felt before. Focusing back up on the sky, he waited for the feeling to pass, but that time didn't come.

**The next day**

Kagome had a restless night, and woke up before dawn to a nightmare. Knowing she was done with sleep for the night, she quietly got up to slip on shoes for a run. She had barely made it across the clearing when she heard movement.

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice caught her ears first, before he stepped closer to the fire for her to see him. He motioned away from the others to get her to follow him, before they both sat down. It was quiet for a long moment, as his eyes moved back and forth from her to the starry sky above. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah, the usual..." Kagome trailed off, taking a deep breath, as she felt a little weird about talking with Inuyasha after the last few times not going too well. "I'm still a little wound up from what happened."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Inuyasha said, propping himself up with his hands resting on the ground behind him. "We got them all."

"I know." Was all Kagome said, fidgeting with the sleeves of her shirt.

At nothing more being said, Inuyasha finally sighed. "I'm sorry Kagome. For the way I've been acting."

Smiling a little at his apology, Kagome's shoulders relaxed a little. "I'm the one who messed up Inuyasha. I'm the one who should be sorry. You had every right to be angry with me."

Her apology made him look over at her, and Inuyasha could see that she really felt bad about it all. "We all mess up every once in a while."

"It's different this time Inuyasha," Kagome disagreed, looking over her shoulder at where Rin and Shippo were, before focusing back up the stars. "My actions could have resulted in something happening to Rin."

"And yourself." Inuyasha reminded at her focus only being on Rin.

"I don't care about me Inuyasha. I can take care of myself. If something had happened to Rin-"

"Nothing happened okay?" Inuyasha interrupted her, his eyes narrowing as he frowned, before they widened back up after he met her eyes. "You aside, Sesshomaru wouldn't let anything happen to the kid… And I guess I wouldn't either. I mean, she can be annoying at times, with all her screaming and noise-

"So her being a kid?" Kagome offered up, deadpanning at his explanation.

"Yeah, despite that… The kid grows on you," Inuyasha said, with a shrug. "We wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Despite one part of her appreciating Inuyasha's caring side, Kagome couldn't help but focus on the annoyance that arose, as her eye twitched. "But you let Shippo go off on his own to find me a few weeks ago."

Inuyasha deadpanned. "Will you ever let that go?"

"Yeah… When I'm dead." Kagome shot back, joining in with Inuyasha's laughter.

When their laughter settled, Inuyasha nudged her arm a bit. "I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive of you, and I jumped immediately to being angry… I need to work on that."

"I appreciate your apology… I apologize for not saying anything about what I had been feeling, and what I heard about those priestesses getting killed."

Inuyasha shrugged after Kagome's apology. "It's okay. Well, it's not okay, but you know what I mean… Hey cheer up. We'll be back in Kaede's village today, and you'll be able to go back home to your time for a few days. You could even stay for a week if you want to."

Smiling at his offer, Kagome rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for being here for me Inuyasha."

"Oh… Uh, you're welcome." Inuyasha replied, looking down at her for a moment, before looking up at the sky.

**A few hours later**

"Kohaku! I've got so much to tell you!" Rin called to Sango's younger brother, before she and Shippo took off to meet up with him. They had just arrived back to Kaede's village, and Rin and Shippo were overjoyed to say the least.

"How were your travels?" Kaede asked once they got much closer.

It was quiet at first, before Miroku rubbed the back of his neck and chuckle. "We ended up here in one piece. I would say that's a good thing."

After Sango nodded agreeing with Miroku, Kaede raised an eyebrow at the lack of response from the others. "I would have expected you all back earlier than now."

"Well, you see-"

"It just took us a little longer than usual that's all," Inuyasha interrupted Sango quickly to put an end to the topic. He noticed that Kagome held a look of relief on her face, as their eyes met. He just shrugged and gave her a nod, before looking back to Kaede. "How much firewood does the village have stocked up? It's probably going to get cold tonight."

Appreciating Inuyasha changing the subject on her behalf, Kagome was able to slip away from everyone and return to her own hut. Once inside, she took in a moment to breathe it in. Even though she traveled a lot throughout the years, this little hut had become her home and it was refreshing to return to. Slipping her bag off her shoulders, she pulled out a comfier sweater to change into. After starting up a small fire, she sat down on her futon, and stared into the flames. Her thoughts wandering to Sesshomaru, and just the image of his face in her head had her laying back on her futon and covering her face. _At this point, I don't really care that I don't understand why he's been acting the way that he has. Now… It just annoys me._

"Kagome?"

Shippo's voice hitting her ears had Kagome slip her hands off her face, and she opened her eyes to see him standing by her futon. "Hey Shippo."

After studying Kagome for a moment, Shippo slipped into her folded arms, and snuggled up against her cozy sweater.

"Hmm," Kagome hummed, smiling at Shippo making himself comfortable. She began to stroke his hair back. "Do you want to come back to my home with me?"

"Yeah that would be fun." Shippo agreed, enjoying the attention she was giving him.

"I would like that very much." Kagome said, smiling as she closed her eyes. With Shippo distracting her, she was able to find it a little bit easier to push Sesshomaru her thoughts.

**The next morning**

Sesshomaru's eyes opened at the feel of movement. The lack of light coming in through the hut's doorway, told him it was still early in the morning. He had glanced over to his other side to see Kagome had been the one to move. She was up and re-starting the fire that had died out overnight. After the fire was going strong, she had returned to her futon to lay down under her blanket. He wasn't sure how long he had stared at her. It became apparent to be over half an hour once the commotion of the villagers waking up was heard.

Looking away from the doorway to Kagome again, he raised an eyebrow at the kitsune waking up. He seemed half-asleep as he shivered, and got off his futon to go right to Kagome's. He pushed his way under her blankets and into her arms, and her only reaction was to adjust accordingly without opening her eyes.

At the new angle she was sleeping in, he could see her face better, and she seemed calm. Oblivious to the fact that he had been watching her. His thoughts traveled back to the day she had reached out touch his arm, and it began to cause an unsettling feeling inside of him. At the strange unusual feeling, Sesshomaru swiftly got up and left the hut. _The miko will be leaving through that well today, and I won't have to be bothered with her for a while._

**An hour later**

Miroku settled down next to Sango in front of the fire. "It is nice to be back here.

"I agree… I miss Kohaku though." Sango said, chuckling as her eyes landed on her little brother in the distance. He was busy talking to a girl around his age, who was setting up clothes to be dried.

"What do you mean? He's right over there." Miroku pointed in Kohaku's direction.

"I don't get it," Inuyasha added, after looking back and forth from Sango to Kohaku in the distance. "Why doesn't he want to talk to you? Did you do something?"

Scowling at Miroku and Inuyasha not getting the point, Sango rolled her eyes. "I need Kagome to talk to. I wonder when she's going to get-"

"Hey everyone," Kagome greeted, as she and Shippo arrived from having slept in a little. After the usual morning greetings were passed along, she settled down next to Sango on the log she was sitting on. They were eating outside, as the fire needed to cook the larger than usual breakfast was out there. "I wanted to let you all know that I'm planning on taking Shippo home with me for a few days. We'll be leaving before dinner this evening."

At Inuyasha's lack of usual objection to her leaving, Sango shrugged and offered Kagome a smile. "It'll be nice for you to visit with your family. It's been a few weeks."

"Yeah, I have missed them," Kagome said, a small smile appearing on her face at the thought of her family. Her eyes landed on Rin, and her smile grew a little. "And you'll get to take a break from training for a few days, and maybe you'll get to learn some things from Kaede."

"Oh… Okay." Rin agreed, a smile on her face, but her eyes showed some disappointment.

Kagome smoothed Rin's hair down, and offered Rin an encouraging smile. "Maybe you'll learn something new, and you can show me when I get back. I'd be really excited about that."

That was the first thing that seemed to really bring a smile to Rin's face, as she finally gave a nod. "Okay."

As Rin got distracted by Shippo, Kagome sighed a little sigh of relief. Her eyes swept to the others around the fire, but stopped on the golden eyes of Sesshomaru across from her. After a moment, she was quick to stand up and turn away. "It's a little too cold out here this morning. I'm going to go eat back at my hut."

**Later that day**

Looking down in the well, Kagome sighed, but smiled a little at how close to her home she was. Turning back around, she smiled at her friends. "I guess I'll see you all in a few days."

While Sango and Miroku said their goodbyes, Inuyasha was grumbling, as he crossed his arms. "A few days, okay? I will try not to come around unless you're really late."

"So don't go past four or five days then." Miroku added, laughing along with Sango and Shippo.

"Goodbye Rin." Shippo said when Kagome held her hand out in his direction.

"Goodbye." Rin replied, offering Shippo a smile, but dropping it as soon as she met Kagome's eyes.

Seeing the others had started their walk back to the village, Kagome knelt in front of Rin. Creating one of her Kagome flowers, she held it out for the young girl to take. "We'll be back Rin. Promise."

Although Rin sighed with disappointment in having to say goodbye, she accepted the flower, and smiled at how pretty it was. "Okay."

Happy to see Rin cheered up a bit, Kagome nudged her in the direction of the village. "Hurry up and go catch up with the others, or they'll eat all the dinner."

"Bye Rin!" Shippo called, as the young girl had done just that. Adjusting in Kagome's arms so he could hang on a little better, Shippo looked up to her. "I'm ready."

"Me too," Kagome agreed, climbing up on the edge of the well, before jumping into the darkness. The next time she looked up, she had to let her eyes adjust, before she could finally see the ladder on the side of the well. Climbing up, she stopped and let Shippo hop down to the ground. "It's been a while since it has been just the two of us over here."

After they walked outside, Shippo had to cover his ears at first to get used to the sounds, but he was finally able to relax. "I'm excited. Let's go inside."

**In the feudal era**

Sesshomaru had watched from a distance, as Kagome had gone through the well. Her presence disappearing in a blink of an eye had brought a similar feeling to when he first witnessed her disappear down that well. Some part of him had interest, but he pushed hard to swallow that feeling. However, the lack of conversations and interactions with Kagome was making that difficult.

Rin's presence returning caught Sesshomaru's attention again. He looked over just in time to see Rin walking up to the well. Still holding the flower that Kagome had given her, and she seemed to be studying the well. His eyes widened slightly when he watched her stand up on the edge of the well. Sesshomaru knew what she was going to try to do, and moved quickly in her direction. She had already jumped by the time he got there, and he had to go in after her. Just barely catching her wrist before she would have reached the bottom. Pulling her up in time, his feet landed on the ground and Rin was safe from injury.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Rin whispered, her eyes focused upward as the blue sky was no longer visible above them, but there was darkness.

_What is this? _Sesshomaru questioned inwardly, as he jumped with Rin up to the top. Only to find they were in a building. Across from them were stairs that led up to a sliding door at the top.

**Inside the Higurashi house**

"Oh, I'm so excited to have you two home," Kagome's mother gushed, after giving Shippo a big hug. "And just in time for dinner. I'm so glad I make extra."

"Mama, you always make extra," Kagome said with a laugh. Having just come downstairs after settling her bag in her room. "You make enough for twelve people sometimes, and we always have enough for leftovers the next day."

"I can't help it," her mother replied, letting Shippo down, before her eyes focused on her son. "Souta. It's time to wash up for dinner, as it'll be ready anytime."

"I will after I finish this last game." Souta replied, obviously distracted by the game going on the TV. Moving the controls quickly in order to take down the villain on his game.

"Of course, because eating with your family takes less priority." His mother said, a disapproving from on her face, as she went back to the kitchen.

"Darn technology," their grandpa started, pointing at the screen that was blinding almost. "Distracting the kids these days, and filling their heads with nonsense."

"It's fun grandpa!" Souta exclaimed, before laughing along with what one of his teammates on his game said on his headset.

"Well Kagome never seemed to get into video games growing up." Her mother had said, appearing back from the kitchen. A towel in hand.

"I wasn't that interested in my younger years, and I've been kind of busy the last few," Kagome said, winking down at Shippo who grinned at her. She opened her mouth to continue, but found herself hit with a familiar aura that had her jaw drop slightly. "It can't be."

Shippo looked towards the front door, almost as surprised as Kagome. "Uh… Kagome?"

Kagome slowly walked over to the door. With her hand on the door handle, she took a breath, before opening it. To her surprise, Rin was there, and not far behind her was Sesshomaru. Kagome's eyes met his golden ones. The amount of confusion and shock growing inside of her, had her jaw drop slightly open. _How in the world?_

* * *

**A/N: Sesshomaru and Rin have traveled through the well. This should be interesting.**

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